New Beginnings: Kindred Laws
by Lotusja
Summary: Five hundred years after Julian and Buffy marriage, Buffy fought to create new Kindred Laws.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: All characters from BTVS belong to Joss Whedon and the world of Kindred the Embrace belongs to FOX, Spelling Television Inc, White Wolf or the copyright individual...**

**Title:** Kindred Laws

**Author:** Lotusja

**Genre:** Crossover/AU

**Fandoms:** BTVS/Kindred the Embrace

**Spoilers:** None

**Pairings: **Buffy-Julian

**Ratings:** Pg 13

**Feedback: **Yes Please

**Distribution: **Please ask and it will be given unto you.

**Summary:** #3 Interlude: Takes place in the same universe as **_New Beginnings_**, five hundred years after Julian and Buffy's marriage.

**Authors note: **This story is AU (Alternate Universe). Several years have passed since the premises of my last story, _New Beginnings_.

**Chapter 1** **The Body**

_**Monday: 7:30 p.m.**_

Death surrounded her. Because she has lived with it daily, she knows what it tastes like, feels like. She would dream of it tonight. Sometimes, she would wake up screaming, dreaming about death and the ones she couldn't save. Lissa Luna, nee Buffy Summers, stood looking down at death now. She breathed deeply, mostly through her mouth. The body had been there a couple of days and it was ripe. It lay pale and nude in the waning summer's light. It was bloated and full of noxious gas, and the tech and coroner worked diligently around it. Whoever had left the body wanted it to be found, but not right away. The body was placed carefully in the undergrowth of the Charles Williams Memorial Park. It was not on the main path, but a path seldom used by runners.

A jogger taking a shortcut home had found the dead body of a man earlier in the evening. Normally the jogger, Buddy Evans, would not have used that path, but happenstance made him use it that day. You see Buddy and his friend Howard bet each other a prize LP to the winner of a race they were conducting. Not willing to lose his rare Frank Sinatra record, Buddy used the shortcut to cheat. In the end, he lost both the race and his album when he literally stumbled over the body.

For the past couple of months, dead bodies had been popping up all over the U.S. That wasn't unusual. People die all the time. Simply, stuff seemed to set people off, thus the killing would start. But these deaths have been different. These bodies had been drained of blood with no obvious wounds except two holes an inch apart at the base of the neck. Because of that, the press took to calling it the vampire murders. Because of its unusual aspect, the case made its way into the X-files and into the laps of a young group called A.D.A.P. It was an acronym for A Defense Against Paranormal. This group was hidden under the guise of the F.B.I. Violent Crime Unit. Officially, their job was to stop violent and serial killers, but unofficially the job was to monitor and police all supernatural activities.

In the media, it was noted that the Crime Scene Unit couldn't find any evidence of blood splatter anywhere near the bodies. Finding one body with blood lost was unusual, but finding four, that was weird. A cop in East Texas found the anomaly interesting and sent the information thru B.C.I., a sophisticated computer program that all law enforcement used. When all the data was collected through B.C.I., it showed several more deaths throughout the U.S.

The President, Carter Johnson who had created A.D.A.P three years ago, was a little bit perturbed about how much press these deaths were getting. He called for a lockdown and for the group to solve these murders quickly.

The group consisted of six extra-ordinary individuals – first being a werewolf, Victor Martens. Victor was a homicide cop for ten years in Boston, Massachusetts. He was bitten by what he thought was a large dog; however, when he changed by the first full moon, he knew better. He couldn't explain to his family what was going on, so he quit his job, a job he had loved, and moved out west, where he met Sonny. Sonny was hiding a secret too. He was Kindred. At first, he didn't understand what that meant, but after meeting the Prince of the city and his consort, he knew he was not alone.

Jocelyn Carter was the second person recruited for the job. She was human, but from an earlier age, she knew she was different. She was a medium. A medium was a person that could commune with the dead. Burke Levy was a second-generation sorcerer. His parents had been doing magic for years. Needing someone who could do magic, he was recruited. He was also a computer genius; for by age fifteen, he had created several computer softwares, and at age twenty-two, he was a millionaire. He came under the government's radar when he hacked into the most sophisticated computer system by bypassing several failsafe programs.

Also on the team was Charity Stone, a young woman who had worked for a chemical plant. Through an unforeseen accident at the chemical plant, radiation affected her, causing her to become invisible at will. Working with Charity was a Ventrue Kindred, Paavo Petrov. He joined the group, not to save the world, but to have adventures.

As the wife of a man as powerful as Julian Luna, Lissa Luna didn't have anything to do but keep parties and take care of her sons. But as Buffy, she was the Slayer, and she could not sit back and watch injustice. As the Slayer, she hunted rogue Kindred and remnants. Five hundred years had passed and throughout the years, she had changed. She was more powerful than anyone could anticipate. Since Julian had shared his essence with her, she was faster, more cunning, and more deadly. Not only could she read Julian's mind, but she could also read others. She could also shape shift into a wolf and she was telekinetic. That was her favorite. She loved to surprise the bad guys with that trick. She also learned several languages and could read them too. Wouldn't Giles be proud? Remembering her friends still brought a twinge of pain in the region of her heart.

One day, twenty-five years ago while she was hunting, she met a young congressman whose car ran out of gas in the middle of a deserted road. Remnant vampires surrounded him. Buffy saved his life that night. He had never forgotten Buffy, and throughout the years, he kept in touch. When he became President of the United States, he formed the group A.D.A.P. (A Defense Against Paranormal). At the time, he wanted Buffy to head the group, but she declined saying this group needed a bureaucrat and she wasn't one. The President then hired Connor Adams, aprofiler who had worked for the F.B.I. for fifteen years.As head of a secret organization, he only reports to the President. But one other person can override his authority, and that is Buffy. Buffy was given the job of recruiting personnel to work in the field, and Connor has the authority to hire personnel to work in the office. There were others such as Dudley Biddle, the Medical Examiner and Brigitte Arneau, his assistant, who help with A.D.A.P.

Now, Buffy and Victor stood looking at the nude, male body that gleamed white in the waning light. The body was the fifth dead person found in the last two weeks in San Francisco with two marks on his neck and drained of blood. The victim's name was James Dean. He was a twenty-three-year-old Caucasian male, five–nine, and weighed one hundred and seventy-five pounds.

"Why nude?" Buffy wondered aloud, her brows drawn downward in a frown. She strolled about, nodding at a few people as she moved, keeping the body in her sight. She was focused, but she didn't want to touch the body. To touch it now would answer the question everyone was asking, but to do so was to invite more than death into her mind. It was to invite evil.

Keeping track of her movement, Victor said, "Shock value," shrugging his shoulders. As a veteran police officer, he still doesn't understand what lies behind a criminal's motives and debasements of bodies.

Maybe he's right, Buffy thought halting beside the body. The body that's what it was. At least that was what she called it in her mind. When stripped of dignity, a body ceases being a person. She didn't want to know about the victim. She didn't want to care. After seeing so many bodies over the years, everything and everyone bleeds together in her mind. For the last few years, she had been feeling apathy, ennui. Icy fear twisted around her heart. She gasped silently. What if she stopped caring? She'd heard about that from Julian, about people who lived so long that they don't enjoy the simple pleasures of life. Was she simply turning into a hardhearted woman?

The jogger, who had found the body, said he'd found him naked, and the Crime Scene Unit hadn't recovered his clothing so far. The body lay in a cross position showing that whoever had killed him staged the positioning of the body, and the lack of clothing also suggested that he was killed elsewhere.

During the short time since the jogger had found the body, both Buffy and Victor had ascertained that Mr. Dean was a student from one of the local colleges. His roommate had reported him missing when he didn't return from a date three nights before.

"Do you smell that?" Buffy asked, wrinkling her nose slightly. She had smelled a very distinctive smell ever since she had entered the crime scene. Because her nose was sensitive, she knew right away what it was, but she wondered if Victor, a werewolf, smelled the same scent that she had smelled. She moved away from body, still not able to call him Mr. Dean. Over the years, the bodies had become objects to her. Some people might think she was callous, but she was learning to protect herself because when you called them by name they were people. She had learned that one couldn't objectify a person. She stopped and inhaled a deep breath.

"Yeah, the D.B," said Victor. Smothering a groan, he stepped back from the body. Victor Maartens was six foot, four inches tall. He has a wide-shouldered, rangy body and long sinewy legs. He has a ruggedly handsome face with thick black hair gleaming in the lights and knowing brown eyes. There was a restless energy about his movements as he paced back and forth from the body.

"No, not that," Buffy chided. To her, the smell was distinctive, not like a dead body. She licked her lips, as if to taste the flavor.

"What?" asked Victor watching his partner and teacher. Since they had met ten years ago, this woman fascinated him. She looks so delicate and innocent, that is before you look in her eyes. Those beautiful eyes have seen so many things that sometimes he wondered how she did it. Curious, once during a stakeout he had asked. At first, he thought she wouldn't answer him but she did…_ "One day at time,"_ she had said, with a wry little smile. That smile seemed to convey many things, but most it had said to him was '_some day, you might understand.'_ He never asked again, but sometimes, she would get this faraway look in her eyes. Then he would see her with Julian and her boys and that cloud would be chased away. She was an enigma.

"It is like," Buffy said. She couldn't describe the elusive scent. As she moved further from the body and the activity that surrounded it, she closed her eyes and lowered her shields.

He regarded her quizzically for a moment. "What is it?" Victor asked, moving to her side. He walks noiselessly so as not to startle her. The last person who had startled the Slayer was thrown twenty feet away. Luckily, for the poor slob, he was a Kindred, and he was not out to hurt her.

Buffy sighed and opened her eyes. She chose her words carefully. "Magic," she said. She was right; he couldn't sense what she had sensed. He's like a babe in the woods. She had to teach him to hone his psychic senses after they catch the bad guy. And they will, she vowed silently.

"Magic?" Victor asked, staring at her baffled. "I thought we had some sort of rogue Kindred on our hands." Magic was a different sort of ballgame. He didn't understand magic even if he's a werewolf. Ten years ago, before he had changed, if some one had told him that werewolves existed, he would have laughed in their faces. But, then he found out that not only were these creatures real, but witches, demons, and vampires. He understood those, but magic? Come on. How can someone understand something you can't touch? Magic doesn't leave a scent, does it? He opened his mouth to question Buffy, but she beat him to it.

"It seems to be more than that," she said, looking around. Her ironic tone concealed the mixed emotions she felt. "All I can find is minute traces of someone using magic. I don't know if it is the Kindred or what, but we need to find this killer fast."

Victor hesitated, measuring her for a moment. All this talk of magic disturbed him in a way he didn't like, so he decided to change the subject. "So partner," he said, draping his arm familiarly on the diminutive woman shoulder. "Where do we start?"

"Start?" she said focusing on the case at hand. "I guess we start with the roommate that reported Mr. Dean missing and see what he will tell us," Buffy said shrugging the arm off of her shoulders, with a vague hint of disapproval.

Aware of her annoyance, he tried to coax her into a better mood. "Okay I'll drive," he said.

"Why are you always driving?" Buffy asked in exasperation.

Satisfied now that Buffy seemed to be in a better mood, he said, "Because I want to live. I am not immortal like some folks," he sneered companionably.

A flash of humor crossed Buffy's face. "Hey, my driving isn't that bad," she retorted.

"Bad!" Victor said on a chuckle. "It's the worst driving in the history of the world. How a person could live for over five hundred years and still not have mastered the art of driving?" he asked, his eyes twinkling in merriment.

Buffy stuck out her tongue at him. She was enjoying the gentle sparring as much as he was.

"Stop pouting," he said, laughing as they entered the car. "You can drive on the way back."

Her mouth twitching with amusement, Buffy turned her face towards the window and watched the scenery go by.

_**Monday: 9:00 p.m.**_

"Land!" squealed Victor. "Land!" he repeated as the $75,000 car came to a shuddering halt. He opened the door with shaking hands and crawled out the door. Still on his knees, he kissed the ground.

After climbing from the driver's seat, Buffy stood looking down at Victor with both hands on her hips. She confronted him. "Stop that you big baby; you are safe," she said with annoyance in her voice. "It is not as if we got into an accident."

"It is not as if you didn't try," he insisted archly.

"Are you two done bickering?" said a voice. "If so, come in and tell me about this latest case."

Victor looked up from his kneeling position on the ground to the man standing a few feet away. He was wearing a dark gray suit with a light blue shirt and matching tie. "Sure boss," he said.

The man turned and walked into a large Victorian that housed their offices. It was not a traditional federal office, but with budget cuts, they needed a space that was isolated and where they could house unusual looking criminals until a space could be found later for them. At one time, the house was on the list for the Underground Railroad, so it has a lot of hidden compartments and tunnels. It was a perfect house for their use.

Buffy said aside in a whisper, "Suck up." She then extended her hands to Victor to draw him to his feet.

He winked at her broadly.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2** **James Dean**

**_Monday: 9:15_**

Inside the Victorian house, the members of A.D.A.P.which consisted of Buffy, Victor, Jocelyn, Paavo, Charity, Burke, and Dudley, gathered around a table in the conference room. The conference room was originally a dining room. It still carried the dining room furniture from the previous owners. The table seated twelve. The whole house had maintained its original structure, but over the years and several owners later, who each had put in their own individual style, the house had become a mish-mash of several designs. And the dining room reflected it, with its cherry veneer paneling and toile wallpaper.

"What do we have," asked Connor after calling the room to order. At fifty-five, he was still lean and fit thanks to a sensible diet and daily exercise in the gym. But the stress of the job was taking its toll on him, with the strands of gray weaving its way into his sable brown hair and goatee.

"The D.B. is one James Dean," said Victor, looking through his notes. Although he has a photographic memory, he likes to have his thoughts written on paper. "He is a college student, originally from Elizabeth, New Jersey. He was attending San Francisco State University. The youngest child of four, his roommate called in a missing report on him when he hadn't come home for four days.

"How long had he been missing before his roommate reported him?" Connor questioned.

"Three days," said Victor, in his element. He loves police work; sometimes he thought he was born to do it.

"Why did he wait so long to call the police?" asked Jocelyn.

"They were not the best of friends, just shared a room, according to the roommate. He told me and I quote, _'He just faded into the background man.' _The roommate never knew he was missing, until several of the teachers were concerned because he was missing class."

"Is he the type to party?" asked Connor with a puzzled frown.

"No," said Buffy. "By what I gathered, he was a nerd. He was the captain of the math league and the chess club. He didn't date much. But for the last couple of days before he was missing, he was seen in the company of a beautiful woman."

"Is that unusual?" asked Charity looking around the room.

"Yeah, here is a picture of the guy." The picture showed a studious young man wearing glasses. Buffy looked at Victor, who nodded. "We are not saying he's ugly or anything. But he doesn't seem the type beautiful women fawn over."

"Do we have any idea who this woman is?" asked Connor in a cool voice.

"No," Buffy said shaking her head.

"Do we have a description of her?" he asked, again in the same cool tone.

"Yeah," Buffy said looking at her own notes"The woman was described as five feet tall, blue eyes and brunette with pale skin."

"You think she is the one killing these men," Charity asked concerned.

"Yeah, I think so," Buffy said in a dull and troubled voice. "If it were a straight Kindred killing, they would have been killing women too. But they are only killing men, young college students. The only thing in common with each victim is that they are male and they were college students, plus they were all found in the same position as Mr. Dean."

"Have you been to the site?" Connor questioned Jocelyn.

Jocelyn's job was to commune with the dead. She was a medium. She fought the gift her whole life. From an early age, she could see dead people. It sounded like a cliché or the title of a movie, but there she was, still seeing Aunt Sally or Uncle John. During her late teens, she was able to focus her talents, and help the newly departed continue on their journey. She was an average woman, with average brown colored hair and an average sized build. In all, she was average. Because she looked average, she faded into the background, but she made up for it with her psychic abilities. "Yes," she said, answering Connor's question.

"Do you have a sense of why she's killing these men?" he asked.

"…and humiliating them," Buffy chimed in.

Turning to Buffy, Connor asked, "What do you mean?"

"Draining blood is easy. You just grab a person by the neck and drink. But she took their clothes off. Why?"

Turning to the Medical Examiner, Buffy asked. "Was there anything unusual about Mr. Dean?"

Dudley Biddle, an export from Britain has been an M.E. for twenty-five years. While he was younger, he couldn't see himself as a doctor, the way his father wanted him to. He wanted to become a dancer, and for several years, he was in the royal ballet, until one fateful day, he broke his ankle. After several weeks of healing and therapy, doctors advised him that he shouldn't dance professionally. Upon hearing that, his dreams of being a dancer were dashed; he migrated to the United States, followed his father's advice, and became a doctor. "There was not anything unusual about Mr. Dean, except his unfortunate moniker."

"Uh," said Connor staring at Dudley baffled.

"His name, man. I am talking about his name, James Dean." All around the room, there was confusion. "_Rebel without a Cause and East of Eden_," he said, astonished that the group didn't recognize these titles. "I see that you guys don't watch late night cinema."

Connor sighed in exasperation. "Mr. Biddle, please."

Dudley bit his lip to stifle a grin. "Okay, here's what I have: Mr. Dean was an ordinary human being. There was nothing special about him, at least what I could find. And let me tell you I looked. There wasn't anything I could find that distinguished him from us. But I did find one thing pretty interesting."

"What!" said Connor, now fed up with the M.E.

"I found out Mr. Dean had sex recently."

"He did?" asked Burke shocked. Burke Levy looked like all the victims. He didn't socialize and computers were his life. But there was one thing going for him the others didn't know, with the exception of Buffy. And that was that Burke Levy was a second-generation sorcerer.

"What?" said Connor climbing quickly to his feet in astonishment. For the first time in years, this night kept bringing surprises after surprise. When he received the appointment from the President, and was told, yes that vampires really existed, he thought nothing would top that. Finding out that a young nerd had sex before he died still shouldn't have shocked him, but the combination of the portfolio of Mr. Dean's life and the description of the mystery lady didn't seemed to gel.

_Whoa, _thought Burke_. What a way to go. _

"What about the other victims," Buffy asked. "Did they also have intercourse before they died too?"

"I wasn't there to examine the bodies personally," Dudley answered with an impersonal nod. "But the Medical Examiners did exemplary jobs. And they kept immaculate records. So, yes indeed, each victim had sex before they died."

A thought came to Victor, "Did you remember to wipe those records clean?" He asked the computer expert.

"Of course," said Burke annoyed. "We can't let the world know that vampires and demons exist," he retorted in cold sarcasm. "I couldn't forget something important like that. I downloaded each record, and then I created a small virus to attack those records and a few nonessential ones."

Victor gave Burke a black look.

"Alright," said Buffy placatingly.

"Did anyone besides this roommate see this mystery lady," asked Connor, studying Buffy intently.

She hesitated a moment. "No," she said. From the moment she had heard of the mystery woman, she knew that she was the one. The killer. She could feel it in her gut. And when it comes down to it, she always trusts her instincts. Her instincts had saved her life numerous times.

"So, we are only taking this roommate's word that there was a mystery lady?" Connor asked blinking in surprise

"Well, kinda yes," Buffy said, blushing furiously.

"Why don't you go back and find some corroborative evidence. And I hope you do much better investigating than you did before."

"Yes, sir," Buffy mock saluted. She went crimson with resentment and humiliation. She knew that Connor didn't like her, and she had detected a slight condescension in his attitude. Connor had resented that he didn't have control over Buffy. And he resented the fact that Buffy answered only to the President and not to him, especially since he thinks Buffy is a maverick. As a touch telepath, Buffy had no idea what Connor was thinking. At times like this, she wished she could read him, liked she could Julian.

For a minute, there was an awkward silence.

Dismissing Buffy shortly, Connor sat back in his chair. He turned to Jocelyn and asked. "Since you have walked the crime scene, did you sense the victim at all?"

"I-I couldn't see James," Jocelyn stammered. "But I could sense pain."

"Pain?" Buffy questioned startled.

"Yes," she said. She hesitated, blinking with bafflement. "Why, is it important?"

"I don't know," Buffy said thoughtfully. She looked at the M.E. "You said there wasn't any mark on the body except the two teeth marks on his neck?" Buffy asked with an edge to her voice.

"Yeah, what have it?" asked Dudley, his brow furrowed.

"That shouldn't have caused any pain," she said, her mind reeled with confusion.

Everyone turned to look at Buffy, each with varying degrees of puzzlement on his or her face.

"What do you mean?" asked Connor now curious. He never knows how her mind works.

Blushing Buffy said, "Kindred bites are erotic. Tell them," she demands of Paavo. She didn't mean to blurt that out. What's wrong with her lately? It seemed like she couldn't concentrate. Now they might wonder how she knew about the erotic effects of a Kindred bite.

"You are the one telling the story," said Paavo, his tone coolly disapproving. _He wasn't angry per se_, he thought, but he was annoyed to be put on the spot. He sighed and turned to look into Charity's eager face.

"Is it true?" Charity remarked pleased at how nonchalant she sounded as heat was stealing into her face.

A half smile crossed Paavo's face. He looked at her enigmatically for a moment. "Yes, little one," he said smoothly, with no expression on his face. "It's just as my queen said. Our bites are erotic. That is why we have some people willing to donate blood." He did not tell them that he could mesmerize victims into donating blood. Some things about the Kindred should remain a mystery.

"Okay," Charity said her flush deepened to crimson. She put a hand up to her face, trying to hide her blush, hoping no one had noticed. From the first day she had met Paavo, she'd had a major crush on him. Even after finding out he was a vampire. A Kindred. She raised her eyes to find him watching her; her heart jolted in response and her pulse pounded. She had no way of knowing that the supernatural beings in the room could smell her desire and hear the acceleration of her heart.

"Well, you see what I mean," said Buffy with quiet resolve. "If there were no marks other than those two bite marks, then Mr. Dean should have died feeling pleasure, not pain." She turned to Jocelyn who was doodling absently on a white note pad. "Are you sure that was what you sensed? Pain?"

"Of course", said Jocelyn, making the statement a fact. _Although, Buffy had recommended her for this job, she resented her. One of the reasons in her mind was because their skills were similar, and because of that, sometimes she would second-guess he self, especially when Buffy was around. And the other reason was Buffy seemed like 'Miss Know it All.' Example, how did she know that Kindred bites were erotic? They are evil. They should be hunted down and killed, she thought. Why should we socialize with them? They're all freaks: Victor, Paavo, and little Miss Buffy. Buffy, what kind of a name was that to name a kid? She's not human, I can feel that she's not human. And Charity, the least charitable person I ever met, look at her cozying up to the vampire. They all deserve to die._ "I am not empathic," she said to Buffy's question, annoyance in her voice, "but a medium; however I am able to distinguish pleasure from pain."

"Look," said Buffy placatingly. "I am not trying to tell you your business," she said her lips thinned with irritation. "But what I do know of Kindred is that they don't give bad neck."

"Yeah, you should know," Jocelyn retorted, fed up in what she perceived as Buffy's condescending attitude. "I have known you for three years, and I can see how comfortable you are with the monsters."

"Monsters?" Buffy said, her jaw literally dropping open in shock.

"Yeah, monsters," she said sneering.

"Do you think I am a monster?" Buffy asked, her tone had become chilly.

Jocelyn avoided her gaze. "Well," she said speaking with a light bitterness.

"That's enough!" said Connor, grounding the words between his teeth.

"No, it's not enough," Buffy said, her nostrils flaring with fury. "If little Miss Priss here," she said heading towards Jocelyn at the other side of the table, "wants to continue to work for this group, she has to learn who are the true monsters," she said almost choking on her words.

"Uh oh," said Victor, and with supernatural speed, he rushed to cut Buffy off. But he was too late. "You are in deep shit," he said growling.

Buffy had opened her shield and let out a small blaze of power.

Jocelyn squeaked, her body stiffening in apprehension. It was as if all of the air was being sucked out of the room. She gasped, her face turning an alarming shade of red.

"Buffy!" Victor yelled, fighting his way towards her. Panic he had never felt before started rioting inside him. His body felt as if it was in quicksand; he could barely move. He had to stop her; she could kill them all.

"You have been working here for three years and you have seen some truly weird and disturbing things, yet you have the nerve to call me a monster. If you think I'm a monster," she snapped, "you truly haven't seen any thing yet," Buffy said her voice rising an octave. Slowly she started levitating and an invisible wind floated her hair behind her back, giving her the illusion of flying. Her eyes turned a murky gray mimicking a storm and her voice deepened as if echoing from an empty chamber. It was like dripping icicles. "You think Paavo is a monster?" she asked blasting more power. "How about Victor?" she asked floating towards Jocelyn.

"Oh no," Paavo moaned, his face turning pale. He closed his eyes and massaged his forehead as if pain. "My Queen," Paavo pleaded, holding Charity up in his arms that had collapsed towards Buffy as if in supplication.

"You have yet to truly see what a monster can do," Buffy said, cutting off the blast of power. "Monsters don't hide in the shadows with disfiguring faces. Most monsters live next door like ordinary people. So when you actually see a monster, then you can talk," she said her voice fading, losing its steely edge.

Breathing in shallow, quick gasps, Jocelyn nodded yes, her eyes swallowing up most of her face.

Eyeing Jocelyn with a lethal calmness in her eyes, Buffy floated back down to the ground. She turned to Connor, who was slowly getting his breath back. "I am going back to the crime scene to see what I can find, and I will get you some corroborating witness to Mr. Dean's mystery woman. Then I am going home," she said. "Who's with me?" she said to the room at large.

Connor nodded and let out a long, audible breath.

"Coming partner?" she said to Victor, her green-hazel eyes meeting his brown eyes, as she walked out of the conference room.

"Right behind you," Victor said, taking a deep, unsteady breath as he followed her. Looking around the room, his eyes touched everyone, nodding goodbye to Paavo. His mouth was tight and grim as he walked out the front door. This job had been his salvation. Without it, he doesn't know what he would have done. And the members of this group had become his friends, family. But to find out that they thought he was monster, hurt him more than they would ever know. Yes, he and Paavo were more than human, but that didn't mean they should be treated any differently. Having been a werewolf for several years, sometimes he would forget and think of himself as human. But he cannot change who he really is, even if he wanted to.

A part of him understood, where Jocelyn was coming from, but the other part understood Buffy. To call her friends and family monsters was asking too much. As a cop and a werewolf, he had seen his share of evil, both human and supernatural, so he understood Buffy's point of view. And there was Jocelyn. Even as a medium for several years, she still hasn't seen a truly evil person, even working for A.D.A.P.

Nearing the car, Buffy glanced at Victor who was walking beside her, she frowned thoughtfully at him. "You are not saying much."

"I don't have anything to say, except I'm driving," Victor said, his hands on the driver's side door.

"Are you scared of me," she asked from the other side of the car.

Frowning he looked at her over the top of the car, his hands out. "Why shouldn't I be scared of you, you almost killed me?" he said.

"You know I wouldn't do anything to deliberately hurt you," she said, her eyebrows shooting up in amazement, as she handed him the keys.

"That's not what it felt like," Victor retorted, starting the car. He wasn't really angry; he understood the moment had got out of hand.

"I'm sorry," Buffy said quietly, reflecting back on that moment in the room, how angry she was.

"Thank you," said Victor. And there was a calming silence as he drove down the street.

"Friends?" Buffy burst out; she couldn't take the silence any longer.

"Friends," he said, giving her a sidelong glance. "What was that?" he finally burst out.

"She gets on my nerves," said Buffy her lips twisted into a cynical smile. "I recruited this woman thinking she could contribute to this squad, and this is how she paid me back. With this stupid prejudice."

"Be fair," Victor said, surveying the road judiciously. "She hasn't met a true monster."

"But to question my motives," she said tersely.

"She's young," he said matter-of-factly.

"That is no excuse," Buffy said, detecting a hint of censure in his tone. "She's not that young."

He stared wordlessly at her.

Raising her fine arched eyebrows, she protested, "She's 30."

"Yeah, but remember when you recruited her she wasn't a cop," said Victor. "But three years have passed, and she now knows how to handle herself in a fight. Remember the first couple of weeks?" he asked laughing in remembrance."

"Yeah," she said, a flash of humor crossing her face as she also remembered the other member's first week on the team.

"She's gotten a lot better," said Victor in a low voice.

"If you say so," Buffy said mockingly.

He studied her thoughtfully for a moment. "Where are we going?"

"Didn't I tell you?" she asked startled. "I told Connor that I was going back to the crime scene. Something out there is bothering me."

"What was it?" he asked, confused.

"Even though Miss Priss is on my shit list right now, she told us she had sensed pain. Plus, she is a good medium. I wouldn't have recommended her for the job if she wasn't good."

"Okay, back to the crime scene it is," said Victor, making a u-turn on the side street.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3** **Conspiracy**

_**Monday: 10:00 p.m.**_

In the house, there was a long brittle silence.

"Well if there's nothing more," said Paavo breaking the silence. "I will be leaving; I will see you all tomorrow," he said, bowing elegantly to the group. Paavo Petrov was old world charm. Originally from Russia, he had immigrated to the United States in 1985. With all of his family dead, Paavo at age thirty-five hadn't seen any reason to live. He tried to drown his sorrows in alcohol, but he wasn't successful. During one of his binges, a Kindred Ventrue introduced him to a brand new life, and for the next ten years, Paavo and his Primogen Katrina had traveled the world as lovers. But all good things must end. During one of their travels, they met a young man, whom Katrina fell in love with. Because Katrina was focused on this young man, Paavo opted to leave. It has been several years since Paavo had seen Katrina.

"Can you give me a ride home?" Charity asked eagerly, seeing a chance to finally be alone with Paavo. "I took a cab here this morning."

Paavo paused on his way out the door, looking at Charity's eager face. He sighed heavily. "Sure. Go get your things; I will be waiting in the car," he said turning to walk out the door. He knew of her crush on him of course and he didn't want to encourage her. It's not as if he didn't find her attractive. He did. But he didn't believe he and a mortal could have a long-lasting relationship. Still, he knew of plenty of Kindred who would take advantage of a situation like this.

Charity grabbed her purse and several folders off of a desk and hurriedly followed Paavo to the door. "Bye, see you all tomorrow," she yelled over her shoulder.

"What was that?" Dudley finally burst out. He couldn't hold it in any longer. "Did you know that she had that kind of power?"

"No," said Connor softly, his eyes narrowed in thought. "No, I didn't."

"She could hurt someone," Dudley said with a tinge of wonder in his voice.

"She almost did," said Jocelyn, her voice rough with anxiety. "Me."

"Do you know anything about Buffy Summers?" asked Dudley curiously of Connor.

"No. When I received this appointment from the President, I was told I was being sent to a boot camp run by Summers. Until then, I'd never heard of her. As far as I know, she doesn't have any political or financial reason for being here. But I'll give her credit, she's a good strategist. I even think she was in the military at one point. I tried to find out more about her by running her prints through AFIS. Nada. It's like she doesn't exist," Connor said in a dull and troubled voice. "How about you?" Connor asked Burke. "She recruited you. How well did you know her?"

"I'd never heard of her," said Burke, his tone apologetic. "My parents knew her. When I first joined the group, I did a background check on everyone and I found info on everyone here, but not her."

"Even the vampire," said Connor with resignation in his voice.

"Kindred," said Burke with quiet emphasis.

"I don't care what they call themselves," Connor retorted in cold sarcasm. "A vampire is a vampire. I wish I'd never seen the day I had to work with vampires."

"Yes, well," said Burke, with a vague hint of disapproval. "I had found some information on the web about our Mr. Petrov. He was born in Russia and now he lives in the U.S., paying taxes and he also gives to charity."

"Yeah, Charity would love for him to give it to her," said Dudley snickering.

"That is so disgusting," said Burke, looking at the other man in repulsion.

Jocelyn, in the act of taking a sip of water, choked.

Connor walked over to the woman and gave several hard pats on her back to alleviate her choking, hiding his own amusement behind his **averted** face.

Jocelyn turned to Connor, her face red and flushed. "Wait a minute," she said an eager excitement in her voice. "I remember something. I heard Paavo call Buffy 'my queen'."

"What!" Connor said taken aback. "Queen?" he mouthed. "Why would he say that?"

"I don't know," she said shrugging negligibly.

"Look," said Burke, coming to an internal decision. First, the Summers woman had turned scary, but he had his own power, so who was he to judge her. Second, the other team members seemed to have some type of agenda going on. He didn't have to be psychic to figure that one out. He didn't want to get caught in the middle. "I don't know what kind of an agenda you have going," he said, eying them suspiciously. "But leave me out of it. The President created this group for a reason. He appointed Buffy Summers as tactical leader. She has been doing a good job so far. So, leave it at that," he said walking out.

"He has to go," said Connor, his voice cold and exact.

Jocelyn's mouth dropped open.

"Do you have any problem with that?" he asked dryly, noting her reaction.

She swallowed hard, trying to manage a feeble answer. "No," she said, in a tiny voice. She liked Burke; he was the only one who took time to notice her by asking how her day had been. Now, they were talking about killing the one person who seemed to care for her.

Rubbing his hands in a gleeful manner, Connor said, "Let's find out about Buffy Summers."

Not wanting to call attention to herself for the first time since forever, Jocelyn had to asked, "What about the vampire killings?" There was a sourness in the pit of her stomach as she thought about killing Burke. It wasn't the killing she minded, she could see herself actually pulling the trigger if she had to, but not Burke.

Connor walked over to the sideboard at the corner of the room, and opened a cabinet noisily searching for something. "Let Summers do the hard work," he said, picking up a bottle of vodka and pouring it into a glass with ice. "We can get rid of her after she finds the vampire," he said, downing a mouthful before saluting both Dudley and Jocelyn.

"We don't have any idea how powerful she is," Dudley protested. He didn't seem to have any qualms talking about killing two people. But it was not as if he didn't care, of course he did. He wouldn't have become a doctor if he didn't care; nevermind that being a doctor wasn't his first career choice.

"Then let's conduct our own little test, shall we," Connor said with a maniacal gleam in his eye.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4** **Crime Scene**

_**Monday: 10:30 p.m.**_

At the crime scene, a hint of a breeze stirred Buffy's hair as she got out of the car. She scrutinized the scene carefully, noting if there were any new changes to the place. She stood silently for a minute breathing in the rich scent of decay, blood, and chemicals as the breeze continued to swirl its warmth as it rustled in the trees.

"What are you looking for?" asked Victor, following her gaze.

"I don't know, yet," said Buffy walking over to the chalk outline of the body they had taken away. "I will see it, when I see it."

"What did you see earlier?" he asked curiously.

"It wasn't so much as what I saw, but what I sensed," she said frowning.

"Magic, right?" he asked. To him, it's very intriguing, the idea of magic. The supernatural world hadn't existed for him until he had been bitten by a werewolf. When he had said something about it to Buffy, he was told that people didn't want to acknowledge things that they didn't want to see. All this time, he had been living with all manner of beings and he hadn't seen it. He shook his head bemusedly. He wouldn't be surprised to find out that aliens existed, too.

"Yes," Buffy said quietly. "But it was more," she said puzzled, remembering the exact moment she had smelled the scent. She stopped suddenly, tensing. She sniffed the air like a wild animal.

"What is it?" asked Victor looking around wearily. Following her example, he stopped and scented the air. He could sense that he and Buffy were not alone. 'Vampire,' he mouthed.

Buffy nodded absentmindedly. She recognized the preternatural signature. She wheeled around and pulled the figure out of the shadows, grabbing it by the throat, forcing the body into a tree. The figure gasped and she immediately eased her grip, but didn't let go. "What are doing here?" she demanded.

Cash shrugged. "It's a free country," he acknowledged. "I can go anywhere I want to," he said, with a half smirk on his face.

Buffy's eyes narrowed warningly at him, and with one hand, she casually threw him to the ground.

His grin widened. "Hello, my queen," Cash said.

"You still haven't told me what you are doing here," Buffy said.

The smile dropped off his face. Suddenly Cash was serious. "Julian sent me to investigate the murder."

"What!" Buffy exclaimed irate. "How dare he! This is my case." Since the day Buffy had married Julian, he had wanted to wrap her in a cocoon. He had given her bodyguards, but after saving her own bodyguards several times from countless dangers, he had seen that it was pointless to continue giving her them. However, that did not stop Julian from trying to protect her. Buffy always told him that she was the Slayer and she didn't need protection, but to make Julian feel better and also to give Buffy the illusion of privacy, Buffy continued to have guards.

Cash shoved his hands into his pockets and sighed heavily, "We both know that Kindred are killing these young men. And this one happened to be in San Francisco. That made it the prince's business," he said casually walking up to Buffy to stand in her personal space.

"No, it's my business," Buffy retorted, glaring at him. "Julian needs to stay out of this," she said shoving him aside.

"You know he won't stay out of it," Cash insisted with growing impatience.

"You know he's concerned about you."

Buffy placed her hands belligerently on her hips, "I have been fighting vampires since the age of fifteen. How dare he try to direct my life."

Cash rolled his eyes in exasperation, "Preaching to the choir here," he said, his voice heavy with sarcasm. "You have to tell him that."

"I will do just that," Buffy said tersely. She open the metaphysical link between her and Julian._ 'Julian_,' she called.

Julian Luna was in his office conducting minor business with a Ventrue Kindred when he felt the probing of Buffy's intrusion in his mind. He paused in mid instruction.

"Prince Julian," the Kindred called. "Is something wrong?"

Julian shook his head absentmindedly, and focused on the man in front of him. "That is all Phillip," he said. "Let me know how everything works out."

"Yes, my prince," Phillip babbled, confused. Julian had been upbraiding him because of a mistake he had made earlier. A mistake that had cost the Ventrue thousands of dollars. Julian Luna was a ruthless man; he did not take mistakes lightly, but he just dismissed Phillip without a second glance. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Phillip rushed out of the room, shutting the door quickly behind him.

'_Julian?' _Buffy called though clenched teeth. '_Why is Cash at my crime scene?' _She could see Julian sitting in a chair in his home office. Even after all of these years, talking to Julian like this was unnerving, but she was getting used to it.

Waves of anger slammed through the metaphysical link. Julian winced. '_Calm down Lissa, it's just a precaution.'_

'_Precaution? For what? How many times do I have to tell you that I can take care of myself?' _she retorted.

'_I know you can,' _he said softly._ 'You are my wife, my queen. I don't want anything to happen to you,' _Julian said sighingHe was sitting in his chair, staring at an empty wall, his feet resting on the corner of his desk. If anyone chose that moment to enter his office, they would believe he was crazy talking to an obviously empty room_. 'Darling, someone is out there killing mortals, and I cannot allow the masquerade to be broken. This is my city. I won't tolerate someone using my city as a killing field.' _

The anger suddenly flowed out of Buffy. Why was she fighting Julian? She didn't mind the help she might get. And if this case was swiftly taken care of, then it would be much better. Her thoughts suddenly switched from the case to going home to cuddle with Julian. And with that thought in mind, she sent Julian several provocative images of what she wanted him to do to her and what she wanted to do to him.

On the other side of city, Julian Luna moaned as he found himself bombarded with erotic images. His trousers' front tightened. _'Darling, stop that,' _he said with a groan.

Buffy giggled.

Victor and Cash looked at her askance.

Ignoring both men, Buffy continued to send Julian erotic images.

Julian shuddered. _'Lissa, you need a spanking. How dare you rile me up when you are not here to take care of it," _Julian said with amusement in his voice.

'_I've been bad; I need a spanking,_' she admitted, giggling again. She could sense the frustration she had stirred up inside of him.

'_Lissa!_' he groaned, crossing his legs. _ 'Please stop! I sent Cash there to help; he will not get into your way. He's a resource, use him.'_

'_Mmm_,' she said continuing to send waves of erotic thoughts towards him.

"_Are you listening,"_ he said, moaning aloud.

'_Yes,"_ she said with a sigh. '_Cash is here to help me; he's a resource. See,'_ she said, _'I heard you.'_

'_Good. I love you Lissa,' _he said adjusting himself surreptitiously.

'_I love you too,'_ she said and closed the link between them. She turned towards Cash, who was busy not staring at her. Buffy blushed. She knew that both Cash and Victor couldn't read her mind, but the shocking images she had sent Julian replayed in her mind, making her feel like a child caught stealing candy at a store. It made her feel exposed. "What do you know?" she asked, angry with herself for feeling embarrassed.

Cash looked at her for a second, noting the reddened cheeks. He smiled briefly. He had no idea what Julian and Buffy had talked about, but the flush on her cheeks told an interesting story. He wasn't much taller than Buffy, but as a Gangrel Kindred, he was tough and street smart. The play of muscles in his arms belied his wiry stature.

When he was embraced years ago by Stevie Ray, he had never thought that life as Kindred would be so challenging or rewarding. He was a punk playing at being a soldier in a war no one could win. Disillusioned, he made new friends with a different kind of warriors. Never once had he looked back. Kindred were his family now. But of course there were some family members he didn't acknowledge ever. After Stevie Ray's sudden death, Cash had to take over his job as lead bodyguard to Julian Luna, but over the years, he had become as indispensable as Stevie Ray.

"Not much," Cash said, with a grimace. He was Julian's lieutenant, and it was his job to find these killers that were terrorizing the city. With so many informants around the city, no one was saying anything. "I know that you found another victim. This is fifth one, correct?"

"Yeah," said Buffy, a cold knot forming in the pit of her stomach. "My spider sense is working over time. This is a bad one; I can feel it in the air."

"This new victim was killed by Kindred," Cash said, his voice a lifeless monotone. He didn't wear his emotions on his sleeves, but the idea of Kindred killing innocent people made him so mad. It wasn't just about the breaking of the traditions.

"Tell us something we don't know," Buffy said in disgust. She couldn't relax. It was as if her skin was on fire. Something about this place was making her itch. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"How about this," he said with a placatory gesture. "The word on the street is there's a new heavy in town and Julian asked me to check this out."

"What!" Buffy said taken aback. It was news to her. For the last couple of weeks, she had noticed that Julian was preoccupied, but she had chalked it up as business. She walked Cash a few feet away, giving them a measure of privacy. "Is it something we need to worry about," she asked concerned. "How about Julian? Is he worried?"

Cash hesitated for a second. He knew that Julian didn't talk Kindred business with Buffy because she was a Slayer. Some of the things Julian had to do as the Prince of the city were hidden from Buffy. But Cash suspected that Buffy knew and understood, because Buffy's Slayer essence was created from demons. He shrugged negligently. "He hasn't said anything, but you know Julian, he likes to play things close to the vest."

Buffy nodded, frowning slightly.

"Lissa," Cash said, resting a hand on her shoulders. "Please don't worry; Julian can handle it."

"Okay," Buffy said, managing a tremulous smile. She turned her face away from Cash as she fought to control her warring emotions. She knew that Julian hid stuff from her. A part of her understood that. He was a vampire and she was Slayer. But they were married; they should communicate, especially if someone new was threatening their happiness.

"Are you okay?" Victor asked quietly, walking over.

Buffy took another deep breath and nodded.

"So what we are going to do?" asked Victor. He sounded so matter-of-fact.

_She had to stay focused,_ Buffy thought. She and Julian could work it out, when she reached home. "We are going to re-interview the roommate and check around the campus to see if anyone saw this mystery girlfriend. And Cash will continue to do whatever he was doing," she said.

"Yes, _mon capitaine_," Cash said with a mock salute as he walked over to his bike hidden in the trees.

Buffy rolled her eyes and sighed. "Victor? What was I saying before we got interrupted by Cash?"

"That you had smelled magic earlier," Victor said with a puzzled frown.

"Oh yes," Buffy said, her face grew pensive. "Maybe I can still trace the signature."

"How?" Victor demanded, one eyebrow raised quizzically.

Buffy sighed. "Come on," she said inviting him closer. "Close your eyes. What do you see?"

"I don't see anything," he said deprecatingly. "My eyes are closed," he said, opening them to look at her.

Rolling her eyes in exasperation, Buffy said, "Use your other senses."

"Yes, sensei," Victor said mockingly. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, closing off his senses of hearing, taste, and touch until he focused on one thing: smell. "I smell the earth, the trees, blood, and death."

"No! No!" Buffy said grabbing him, frustration in her reach. "You are werewolf," she said, shaking the two hundred and sixty-five pound man, as if he were a rag doll. "You were born of magic. See with your mind's eye, smell with something besides your nose. See what I see," she said, her voice smooth, insistent.

Suddenly the mist cleared and it was as if Victor had been blind before, but now could see. Everything was vivid. He could even see the small fur and the skeletal veins of the leaves from where he stood.

"Now tell me what you see," Buffy demanded, watching Victor's face go blank while he focused.

Surprised, he said, "I see something that looks like dust particles."

"Yes," said Buffy excited. "That's magic!"

"Magic?" he asked doubtfully. He thought it should look different. "Well, if this is magic, then someone was using heavy magic today, right here."

Victor could hear a rasp of excitement in Buffy's voice as she continued to ask him questions, but her voice echoed as if coming from a long tunnel.

"Can you see which direction it's coming from?" she asked.

"No, not yet," he said, studying the particles around him. He closed his eyes tighter, blocking out extraneous noises as he meandered around the clearing, following an invisible line that only he could see. "The person stood here." All of sudden he stopped as if he crashed into a wall. "What the…?"

"What is it?" Buffy asked, quickly focusing her own inner eye.

"It's a wall," said Victor bewildered.

"Wall?" Buffy questioned. She reached out with her metaphysical sight and her hand brushed something... it was solid. Physically the wall wasn't there, but psychically, she could feel it, an obstacle. It kept them from going further.

"Yeah!" said Victor, alarm sounded in his voice.

"See if you can go around it," Buffy said anxiously.

He hesitated, but with a look of determination on his face, he marched up to the invisible structure. "No, I can't," he said, trying to feel his way around it. "It's too wide," he muttered. At the edge of the wall, the same scent he had smelled earlier began to affect him. The scent was growing stronger almost cloying. He choked, and he began coughing. "No," he cried out, as dizziness descended on him. He put out his hands to steady himself but touched an empty space. The walls were no longer there. He flayed his arms trying to maintain his balance as his eyes shot open. He was relieved. For the last ten to fifteen minutes, he had been psychically walking; although physically, he hadn't moved an inch. He was still standing a few inches from Buffy in the very same spot they were before.

"What was it?" Buffy asked concerned, seeing the panic on Victor's face.

"I don't know what it was," he said nervously. For the first time in years, he was uneasy. "It was the most cloying, sickly sweet smell. It was overpowering. Thick. Vaporous. It wrapped itself around me, choking me. It seemed like it had a life of its own." He shivered in remembrance.

Buffy touched him, reading his mind and seeing with her mind's eye whatever he had seen and smelled. She stiffened in shock. She knew what it was.

"It was almost like…," said Victor hesitating. He didn't want to appear foolish. He looked at Buffy, who watched him without any sort of recrimination or judgment, as he tried to identify the smell in terms of everyday life. He smacked his lips several times as if trying to remember the taste and feel of the smell. Suddenly a light bulb went off in his head. He finally remembered the smell. It was the smell of too many roses in a closed room. "Roses!" he shouted, happy that he at last found the answer.

Buffy heaved a sigh and closed her eyes as if to escape from the inerrable truth. There's only one thing she knows of that can be described like the scent of roses and that was **_'evil_.'** "It's evil," she said calmly, not willing to show him that she was scared. But it showed on her face, just for a fleeting moment.

"Evil?" asked Victor askance. "I didn't know that evil has a scent."

"Have you heard of the term, 'it smells like evil'?" Buffy asked, grimacing.

"Yeah," said Victor, puzzled. "But I thought it was one of those useless sayings."

"Most sayings are grounded in truth, but whoever first coined that phrase in this instance wasn't kidding. The smell, it's very distinct," Buffy said, her face growing pensive.

"This is bad, isn't it?" he asked, noting the emotion on her face and the things she wasn't telling him.

_That is an understatement_, she muttered to herself. "Yeah, this is bad," she said aloud.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5** **Home**

**_Monday-Tuesday: 12:00 a.m._**

On her way home, Buffy sat in the passenger seat of the car, feeling introspective. In her lifetime, there had only been a few instances when she actually encountered true evil. It would take days, even weeks, before she could get that smell out of her nose.

"What do you think happened out there?" asked Victor shivering slightly. _He shouldn't be afraid_, he admitted to himself. He was a werewolf. He was the boogeyman to millions of people. They were the ones that should be afraid. But if Buffy, who had lived all these years, was afraid then it was definitely serious.

"I don't know," she said bleakly.

Silence descended in the car for the next few miles. "How did I do that?" he burst out. The question had been weighing on his mind for awhile.

"Do what?" Buffy asked looking at him in a mildly puzzled manner.

"Earlier," Victor mumbled avoiding her gaze, "when you helped me focus."

"Oh that," she said shrugging as if it wasn't a big deal. "You see, the magic left a signature, and because you are a supernatural being, I was able to focus your mind's eye to be able to see it."

"Can anyone do that?" Victor asked. The idea of having this great gift to see beyond the obvious was great.

"Do what?" Buffy asked absentmindedly. She wasn't really paying attention. _What could this mean_, she thought. Since entering this dimension, she had accomplished a lot, both as a person and as the Slayer. This was not the first time she had encountered a vampire doing evil works, but she sensed that this time there was a difference. Almost as if someone or something was out to get her. _"Why her? Why now_," she kept asking herself. The killing had started in different states, and it wouldn't have come to her attention if she didn't work for A.D.A.P. _Am I being paranoid?_ she asked herself.

"Buffy? Buffy?" Victor called sharply.

"Mmm," she murmured.

"Are you listening to me?" Victor said giving Buffy a sidelong glance.

Buffy blinked, shaken out of her reverie. She turned her body towards Victor in the driver's side of the car. "I'm sorry," she said with a delicate blush tinting her golden skin.

"I was just asking if anyone could do what I did," Victor said, his eyes gentle and understanding as he gazed at her.

"Sure, if they have a conduit to work with," she said, sighing in relief. She could answer this question. "I was your conduit."

"Okay," he said with apparent satisfaction as he drove through the gate of the Luna mansion. He stopped the car and she got out. "See you tomorrow," he called.

Buffy hesitated a moment, her hand on the door handle. She gave a huge sigh and nodded. At that moment, she felt tired. As if the weight of the world had suddenly descended on her shoulders. She was tired, right down to the bone. As she entered the building, her physical appearance changed. Over the years, she had learned to separate her two lives, one as Elisabeth Luna, wife and mother, and the other as Buffy Summers, F.B.I agent and Vampire Slayer. But with each separate identity, her appearance had to change. If the bad guys who knew her as Buffy Summers knew where she lived, then she would have no peace. Because of that fact, she had used the blonde, five-foot persona as Buffy Summers. Now she was using a glamour to appear as a five-ten, auburn-haired woman with emerald green eyes. Just her inner circle of friends and family knew that Buffy and Lissa were actually the same person.

Since she had started using the glamour, not once had she let her guard down. There was a time when in the privacy of her bedroom she would release the glamour, but because of an incident, she had stopped. It took several years before Julian got used to making love to her in this form. Now it was automatic. Whenever she entered the house each night, she was Lissa Luna, auburn hair, and in the mornings, she was Buffy Summers, blonde. It was getting tiresome because it was like having a ménage à trois, where sometimes she was a blonde and sometimes she was a redhead.

Buffy walked quickly up the steps, eager to see Julian. They had been married for over five hundred years and still the romance was still there. The need to hold Julian, to breathe in the rich scent of his skin, had become so strong that she ached. Physically they hadn't changed. She still looked about twenty-three or younger, and Julian looked like a man in his early thirties. And their two sons, Jordan and Alain, both looked enough like Julian to be his doppelgangers. It seemed weird to Buffy that two men looking physically older than she did called her mom. But it was just as Whistler had said, both boys would grow normally, but upon their 3oth birthdays, they had stopped aging. Jordan was the Prince of Los Angeles and owned several retail stores. Julian and Buffy's second son, Alain, was Prince of his own city in San Diego.

As she walked wearily up the steps, she automatically opened the metaphysical link between herself and Julian. She paused momentarily at the door to her room. Julian Luna, Prince of San Francisco, father of two and consort to Elisabeth, laid on his bed reading the paper. Their gazes connected as Buffy crossed the threshold of the room. In their earlier years of communication, it had been disconcerting to be in each other's minds like that, now it was commonplace. _'How are you darling?'_

Ignoring the query, Buffy ran towards him, jumping into the bed and giving him a big hug.

"Hey, that bad, huh?" he said feeling the rush of emotion through their link.

"Just hold me," she said, burrowing into him, inhaling his natural scent. "I had a trying day. I am tired of chasing vamps gone bad, tired of killing them, and most of all, I'm tired of them killing innocent people."

Julian gazed with tenderness at her face. "Darling, you don't have to fight anymore. You have everything you'll ever need as my wife."

"Julian," she said exasperatedly. "I can't just sit back and see injustice being done."

"I know you can't, Lissa. I am just worried for you." He frowned. "After 1000 years of searching for my heart's desire, you cannot blame me for wanting to pamper you." He would always worry about her, since that incident several years ago when she had almost died. He had to share his life force with her. Because of that she was different. She was no longer an ordinary Slayer, if you could call a Slayer ordinary. But Buffy Summers was always different; she had always marched to a different drummer. Couple of years ago in Sunnydale, a sixteen-year-old girl named Vivian Chou was the resident Slayer. She had it hard. Since she and Buffy's paths were different, Buffy wasn't able to save her when she died fighting Remnants. Since then, no other Slayer had been called.

One of Buffy's differences was that she had become psychic. Julian thought that perhaps she had been born with psychic ability, but the Hellmouth had blocked it. What was a Slayer anyway, but a mixture of magical and psychic being? But ever since Buffy and Julian had merged their essences, she had grown in power. How much had she grown? He wasn't sure. However, it was enough to hold the city. He hated to see her stretch herself like this, being two people, but he grew to understand that the Slayerness was a part of her. He wouldn't love her being anything less.

"Darling," she said staring up at him. She knew of his concern; she could feel it in his unspoken thoughts. "I've been a soldier since I was fifteen years old. I can't imagine doing anything else. It is ingrained in me. Remember when we first met?"

"Of course," he said with a smile, his eyes alight with remembrance.

"For two years before that, I thought I could give up my calling. I didn't want to care. I went about ignoring killings, robberies, and whatever crimes that were happening around me. But I couldn't ignore it, no matter how I tried. When I first met Kendra, I was happy. Here was another Slayer, I thought. She could take over my job, and I could go on dates, vacations, and party without worrying that the world was going to end and I wouldn't be there to stop it. I had it all planned. But do you know what she said to me?"

"What?"

"She said being a Slayer was not a job, it was who I was. At the time, I didn't understand or want to understand, and it took me this long to finally figure it out. I am Slayer and I will always be one. I may be weary of the killings, but…"

"But you don't have to make it your life mission."

"I know," she said sighing. "After we catch the bad guys, we're going on a vacation," she said cheerfully. "Everyone. That means the whole family."

"Good," he said, his voice a tender caress on her skin. "We all need the rest. In the meanwhile, let's forget about the cares of the world," he said nuzzling her neck.

"Not now, I have a bone to pick with you," she argued, leaning into the caress. A delightful shiver of want ran through her.

"Later darling," said Julian, his voice a husky whisper as he kissed the pulse at the base of her throat. "You rile me up; you have to deal with the consequences."

"What's with you vampires?" she said giggling, as her soft curves molded to the contours of his lean body. "Always going for the neck."

It was a long time before she slept, and when she did, she had no dreams at all.

Concealed in the shadows with eyes glowing an eerie silver-gray, a shadow stood staring at the mansion Buffy had just entered. Buffy had haunted the shadow's life for years. This person had studied Buffy, her habits, her likes and dislikes. Even her strengths and her weaknesses were examined. It was time. Time to even the playing field. The shadow imagined that Buffy was cozily snuggled with her husband in the house, not thinking that soon everything would change. It's all about the game, and no one could stop the game once it started. There was no choice. Buffy needed to suffer. If it took a lifetime, that bitch was going to get it.

The Shadow watched the house for several more minutes before cloaking itself within the night and disappearing. "Watch out, Buffy Summers, you are not going to know what hit you."

_**Tuesday: 4:00 a.m.**_

Buffy had barely slept when the telephone by the bed rang. She groped for the phone, frowning as she heard the different ring tone. By the tone, Buffy knew it was work calling. "Yeah," she murmured, speaking sleepily into the handset.

"You got your wish," said a voice on the other line.

"Uh," she said, taking the handset from her ears to look at it in disbelief. She shook her head as if to clear cobwebs from her brain. She sat up, putting the receiver back to her ear. "What?" she questioned.

"The new victim is a woman," the voice continued.

Buffy jerked up startled, the silk sheets pooling around her naked waist. '_They would be killing women too,' _Buffy remembered saying.

"A couple walking in the park found the body last night," Connor said without preamble. "This one they made no effort to hide."

"Where?" she asked, now wide awake, a sick feeling settling in her stomach. She now knows that this was just the beginning.

"Two miles from where we found the other one."

"What!" she said, astonishment making her voice squeak.

Julian having awakened when the telephone had rang, jerked up in surprise at Buffy's shrill voice. "What is it?" he asked, watching her intently, although his Kindred hearing had heard the conversation.

"We went back to the crime scene; we didn't see anyone," she said. _And I didn't sense anyone_, she thought. _What use is having psychic ability when it doesn't work when you want._ But her mind flickered back to the sensation that she was being watched and the smell. She had thought it was Cash, but now she wasn't quite sure. She didn't take time to search the area. At one time, she would have done that. Maybe she was getting careless. But what Buffy didn't know was that someone was influencing her actions.

"It must have happened after you left. Summers?" Connor said his voice edged with tension.

Buffy could hear the hesitation in his voice.

"This one is different."

"How different?" Buffy asked her own voice quiet.

Connor let out a long, audible breath. "First, this one is female, and there are half a dozen puncture wounds on the body."

She paled. _Then more than one fed from her_, she said to herself. _Oh God no_, Buffy moaned inside. Her heart started to race a mile a minute and her breath hitched. She felt as if she was on fire.

An uncomfortable silence descended.

"Summers?" Connor called, giving an anxious little cough, trying to lessen the tension in the air.

She cleared her throat and, as casually as she could manage, she said, "That's unusual; a vampire doesn't like to share." Her mind was racing, trying to figure out how all this had happened.

"Yeah, that is just what the first viewing revealed." Connor hesitated wondering if he should tell her or let her see for herself. Then he rationalized to himself that nobody should see what he had seen. "These vamps didn't just feed; they mutilated her. Her hair was cut off into chunks; her body hacked by some sort of weapon. Doc thinks it was a small ax."

"They used weapons?" she moaned, her mind's eye trying to visualize the terribleness of the act.

"Yeah, they did," he said bleakly. "It was even hard to find teeth marks in the midst of the other wounds," Connor admitted. With a slight hesitation, he said in a strained voice, "She was also sodomized and raped."

"Oh dear God," she said with a wince as she tried to swallow convulsively. Her voice grew tight as she asked, "Did you call Victor?"

"Yes, he will meet you at the crime scene," he said quietly.

"Okay," she said slowly hanging up the phone. A stab of guilt laid buried in her breast. "There was another killing," Buffy said to Julian. She closed her eyes feeling miserable.

"I heard," Julian said giving her a commiserating smile. "You felt you should have done something," he said thoughtfully, reading the answer on her face.

Buffy gave Julian a telling glance.

He shook his head. "I am sorry, my darling,but you can't save everyone. Did you know the woman that was killed?"

"No," she muttered.

"No, you didn't," he agreed. "Of course, I care that someone has died, but I am not going to beat myself up over something that I couldn't control," Julian said gently, taking her into his arms. "You shouldn't either."

"But that's just it," Buffy cried shrugging out of his arms. "I had sensed that someone was at the crime scene. I thought it was Cash, but maybe it was the killer bringing this new body."

His eyes regarded her thoughtfully. "_Bebe, _I think I understand. But you still have no control over what this person is doing. You can't watch this city twenty-four/seven," he said gently. "What are you planning to do?" he asked, as Buffy got out of the bed to walk to the closet door.

"I am going to find this vampire and slay it," she said while dressing in dark blue jeans and an olive green cotton shirt.

"It can't be one of my people," Julian said with a frown. "They wouldn't dare break the masquerade."

"Are you sure?" she demanded, turning to give him an inscrutable glance.

Julian hesitated. "I'm sure," he said. "It couldn't be one of my people."

"If you are sure," Buffy said giving him a long searching look. "Then it must be someone new," she said with reflection. "They wouldn't care about the masquerade."

"All Kindred care about the masquerade," Julian said with such arrogance that Buffy wanted to smack him.

She was trying to give him an out because he said it wasn't one of his people. She was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. "How about this new Kindred Cash said you are worried about? They have entered the city without your permission, I might add. How about them? Do they care about the masquerade?"

Julian shrugged, a worried frown on his face.

"Darling, you know I don't meddle in your Kindred business, but it is obvious that you are worried. Why didn't you tell me about this new threat?"

"I don't know if they are a threat," Julian admitted.

Buffy turned worried eyes to him. "Don't be naïve. Of course, they are a threat. Did they acknowledge you as the prince? Did they come to you asking permission to enter your city?"

After each question, Julian shook his head 'no'.

"Then they are a threat."

Julian sighed. "You are right. I guess I just buried my head in the sand. I wanted to believe the best. But I'm not so naïve that I didn't order a full investigation."

"Darling, we need to communicate more," said Buffy walking over to the bed to sit beside Julian. "I know I am not Cash, or Daedalus."

"Definitely not," he said smiling, taking in the obvious feminine shape in t-shirt and jeans.

"But I am your wife, your helpmate," she said as if Julian hadn't interrupted. "If you have a problem, at least let me know," she scolded, "so that I can help solve it with you."

"I know Lissa; it's just a lifetime of bad habits. But you are not Kindred."

Buffy felt a twinge in the region of her heart. She was tired of people thinking she didn't understand because she wasn't Kindred. "You are right," she said annoyed. "I am not Kindred, but my friends, my family, and most of all, my children are. I may never be Kindred, but that doesn't mean I don't understand. We both know that some '_seul' _lone Kindred are killing mortals, and they aren't worried about the masquerade."

"We have laws," he said arrogantly. "This law is to protect us from mortals. All Kindred know this law. Anyone caught breaking masquerade and his or her life will be forfeit.

"Well, you tell it to this person who killed college boys and a woman," Buffy retort. She was getting angry. _Julian and his stubbornness_. "They weren't worried about the masquerade. These '_violateur de la loi' _are calling attention to themselves by killing mortals. Now it seems like more than one Kindred is involve with this new killing."

"What do you mean?"

"The person who was killed was drained by several vampires."

He sighed. "It has to be Rogue Kindred," Julian said stubbornly. Not willing to admit that there was something in his beloved city that he couldn't control. "Like those who entered the city."

She looked at him for a moment and sighed as well. She loved him so much. But in this instance he was being naïve. Julian was not a naïve person, but anything to do with his beloved city and he turned a blind eye. His wave of black hair kept falling onto his face. Julian was never less than perfect. Only Buffy got to see this side of him. "Darling, you cannot control everything or everyone around you. There will always be a rotten apple in the bunch. What we need is new laws."

"New laws?" he said taken aback. "Bu-but, the laws we have have been with us for generations and generations. We cannot just create new laws."

"We have to. The Kindred created those laws years ago, when mortals overran the Kindred, so that the Kindred could blend in and not be hurt, but now the Kindred are powerful with gifts. They are stronger, both psychically and physically. They are using these gifts to hurt humanity. I am a protector of the weak, and right now humans are weak. We must protect them all, or we both will die out. And without humans, Kindred cannot exist. We need them, because without them, we will be unable to renew the species. We need to coexist with humans, and they should never know we are part of their world. The select few that know both hate and fear us."

Julian nodded thoughtfully. "Darling, I understand. Maybe I am selfish because I don't like change. But it's going to be hard to change centuries of tradition."

"I know," said Buffy. "But if we don't change the laws, at least come up with some ideas that reflect us and mortals living in this new era."

"Okay _bebe_, I will think about it," Julian said, his voice resigned. "Go to your crime scene. We will talk more about the Kindred laws when you get back."

Buffy gave him a quick kiss and hurriedly walked out of the room.

'_Be careful,'_ Julian said through their link.

Buffy smiled, sending back a wave of love through the link. _'I will,'_ she said.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6** **Another crime scene!**

**_Tuesday: 4:40 a.m. _**

It took only twenty minutes to reach the crime scene. A forensics tech was hard on the job methodically photographing the body. Buffy crouched down to take a closer look at the victim and at her second crime scene of the night. She carefully walked the scene; her shields lowered, seeing if she could sense the killer. She sighed, but she came up blank.

_I am tired of looking at dead bodies_, she thought. _I'm over five hundred years old; that's a long time to be looking at dead bodies. With all of the passing years, I thought it would have gotten better. It didn't. Right now, dead is dead. And after viewing so many bodies, I can still smell the bitter metallic smell of blood. It lives in my nostrils, and not even the sweet smell of perfume can take away the stench._

"Anything?" Victor asked quietly behind her. His mind was awhirl since he had received the call from Connor an hour ago. He didn't know if he could take this job anymore. After working with Buffy all of these years, he noticed her lack of enthusiasm for the job now, and he didn't want that to happen to him. But days like today and the recent weeks affirmed that maybe these deaths were getting to him too.

Startled, Buffy turned around. So deep in reverie, she hadn't noticed him beside her. At five o'clock in the morning, Victor looked like he had stepped out of the pages of _G.Q._ "How can you look like that?" she muttered, finding something to release the sourness inside her.

"What?" he said looking at his outfit. He was wearing a blue dress shirt with a pointed collar tucked into khaki chinos. "Don't you like?" he asked, grinning briefly. His heart grew light. He loves this Buffy Summers. He knew how much each death was weighing on her soul. "What I am wondering is how can you look like that?" he said looking at her clothing.

Looking at her own outfit of comfortable jeans and a t-shirt, she retorted, "I just woke up."

"That's no excuse," he countered.

"I didn't have time for my morning cup of coffee," she said with an adorable pout.

Victor eyes widened in mock alarm. "Oh my God!" he exclaimed. "Hey!" he yelled. "Someone quick. Summers didn't get her morning coffee yet."

There was a shocked silence for a full minute. Then there was a mad dash as everyone scrambled to be the first to retrieve coffee for Buffy.

Fifteen minutes later, she was sipping on her first taste of an aromatic brew of the morning. She sighed ecstatically.

"Are you happy now?" Victor asked, waiting patiently for Buffy to drink her coffee.

"Oh yes," she said with a moan.

Victor surveyed the crime scene, noting that most of the people hanging around had left. "I saw you _'looking' _at the body earlier," he said quietly. Only a few people knew that Buffy was a telepath. Not even Connor knew. "What did you sense?"

Buffy paused, the Styrofoam cup halfway to her lips. She looked bleakly at the white sheet covering the nude and mutilated girl's body. They were waiting for the Medical Examiner, Dudley, to pronounce her dead; although everyone could see that she was already dead. But it was procedure. The girl's face was unrecognizable. The only thing they could tell was she was a natural blond. "What I always sense since we have began viewing these bodies?" Buffy said, in a troubled voice. "What I sense," she said again, "is evil, pure evil."

Victor shuddered as his heart jumped in his chest. He never thought he would be afraid. He had dealt with deaths that were a lot more gruesome as a cop and more since he became a werewolf. But one thing he had truly no idea how to combat was evil.

Buffy brought the cup to her lips and took another sip. Buffy noticed his nervousness. "Don't worry, whatever was here is long gone." '_I think.'_

Victor nodded in relief. It was not as if he were a coward.

Buffy knew what he was thinking. She didn't have to read his mind. "I understand. No one could come up against true evil and not be afraid."

"Do you think it was the same person?"

"I believe one person is orchestrating the killings, but this body had more bites, indicating that more than one vampire fed from her."

Standing in the trees, obscured by the dawning light, blue eyes alit with a hint of madness watched Buffy Summers and Victor Martens as they carried out their grisly search. _"Broken doll lying there. Blood rich and sweet,"_ the voice whispered.

_**Tuesday: 6: oo a.m.**_

At the A.D.A.P. headquarters, Buffy was on her third cup of coffee of the morning as she looked over her notes and photographs from the crime scene. She, Jocelyn, and Dudley were waiting in Connor's office for the big man to arrive.

"Everyone," he said carrying his own coffee to his desk. "Summers," Connor acknowledged, as he settled in a chair behind his desk. He shifted for a few minutes, settling. He then focused his full attention towards her. "Does it look like the Dean case could be connected to this one?" he asked abruptly, looking at his own photographs of the crime scene.

She shrugged and said with a slight hesitation. "It's too early to tell." But in her gut, Buffy knew that both crimes were connected, she could feel it.

"Summers, we can't have anymore killings. The media is already having a field day with this. No matter how careful we were, some of the facts leaked, and they are calling these killings vampire murders. If this continues, we'll have panic on our hands. And you know we can't have the world knowing that vampires exist."

"I know," said Buffy softly.

"It just takes one person to say something, and all we have being working towards the last three years is gone. But one thing I learned from working in law enforcement all these years: Reporters are bloodhounds. If they smell a cover up, they attack like dogs after bones. And the President is not happy. He called me earlier and chewed my butt off. If you think I have any butt, think again. See," he said getting out of his chair and turning around to show Buffy his ever-decreasing posterior. "I have only half of a butt."

A flash of humor crossed Buffy face. "If you say so." At times like this, she remembered why she liked him. "I know what you mean, the President called me this morning too. I had to check my ear to make sure it was still attached, he was that angry."

Connor frowned slightly, "I don't want to have anymore such phone calls from him. But he's right. If he's in another state and knows what's going on, then we have to keep closer rein than what we have been doing. It is essential that we wrap this up quickly," he said, standing up as a dismissal.

Buffy nodded, gathered up her papers, and strode towards the door.

"Agent Summers," Connor called. "Do you think both crimes were committed by the same perpetrator?"

She paused and turned towards him. _What should she tell him? Her gut said yes, but there was no evidence to support it._ She took a quick look at the crime scene photographs. A thought flickered in her head. After viewing both crime scenes, something had bothered her, and she couldn't put her finger on it until now. "Why did you call me about this new case?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" Connor questioned suspiciously.

Buffy eyed him thoughtfully. "I have been to both crime scenes, and each death was different. The previous ones were similar to the Dean case that was why A.D.A.P. was called. But this new one was different. This body was female and she was mutilated. There wasn't anything obvious about the new crime scene that screamed that this was a vampire murder. Because of the obvious wounds, no one would have noticed the bite marks. So why were we called on this?"

A tense silence enveloped the room, and Connor traded looks with Jocelyn and Dudley.

Buffy noticed the conspirator looks. She narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. This was one of those times she wished her telepathy worked. She lowered her mental shield but was unable to read them.

"I sensed it," said Jocelyn, speaking eagerly. "Working at A.D.A.P., my power appears to be growing. For the last couple of weeks, I have been experiencing random visions. At first I thought I was going crazy, but now I know. I think I'm clairvoyant."

"Clairvoyant?" Buffy questioned skeptically. She regarded them curiously. She began to wonder if they thought she was a fool. For awhile now, she had been noticing odd little things, i.e., how they watched each other to make sure whatever they were saying was correct. It was time to bring out the big guns."Is that so?" she said, speaking in as reasonable a tone as she could manage.

"Yes," said Jocelyn, relieved that Buffy believed her. "For the last couple of days, I have been sensing future events, but I wasn't sure until that couple found the body, and I sensed it was important to the Dean case. I was right, wasn't I?" she said, her voice holding a hint of challenge.

"Yes, you were right," Buffy said giving her a measuring glance. "I think the same person orchestrated both murders, and we'll find out more later at the autopsy."

Tuesday 6: 20 a.m. 

"That was good," said Connor, letting out a long, audible breath. He stared at the empty doorway that Buffy had just walked through.

"Thank you," said Jocelyn looking surprise she had came up with such a believable lie. "I am a genius," she continued.

"Yes, a genius," Connor acknowledged. His gaze touched upon each member of the team and asked what each one was thinking, "How did we know the victim had vampire marks on her?"

They looked blankly at each other.

_Tuesday 7:00 a.m._

Forty minutes later found Buffy entering the morgue. She and Victor had decided to separate, she to the morgue and he in the field following a couple of leads in the Dean case. Buffy thought she had gotten the short end of the stick. _Whose idea was it anyway for her to go the morgue,_ she thought as she walked through the doors. She wrinkled her nose against the antiseptic smell. She would never get used to the smell of chilled flesh; no matter how many D.B. she had to view. "What's the bottom line," she asked Dudley, whose hands were in a body laid out on a table. Dudley was a rotund man, with receding brown hair, a florid face, and a bulbous nose.

He surveyed his handiwork a moment before responding. "Toxicology came back with a most curious thing," he murmured.

"What?" Buffy said, looking away from the almost gleeful look on Dudley's face. Most of her life, she had been dealing with dead bodies, but to see one thrust out on a table, with someone in their inners, that was sick.

"Curare," said Dudley, a half smile on his face.

"Curare?" Buffy said startled. "Did you just say curare," she asked.

"Uh huh," Dudley murmured with a nod.

"Does that still exist?" she asked as she wandered around the room.

"Apparently so," said Dudley, his expression still serious. He wiped his hands and walked towards a desk in the corner retrieving a manila folder. He put his half-glasses on his nose and peered at his notes. "Curare is a most curious thing," he said. "It used many elements, which caused it to be a deadly poison, including the bark of _Strychnos toxifera_ or _Strychnos guianensis_ (Family Loganiaceae) and of the Menispermaceae, especially _Chondrodendron tomentosum_ or _Sciadotenia toxifera_. Other plant additives helped to prepare it into an arrow poison. It may not be as popular as designer drugs they use these days, but it still exists."

"Uh, what does it do?" she asked curiously.

"It's a powerful relaxant, especially for striated muscles. It works best by blocking the cholinergic transmission at the myoneural junction. It's a toxic alkaloid found only in certain tropical South American trees."

"Myo, what?" Buffy said with a frown.

"Myoneural junction," Dudley said looking up. "There is another word for it, and it's neuromuscular junction. It's the seam between a nerve fiber and a muscle."

"Okay," Buffy said. "Let me get this right," she said thoughtfully. "Someone used a rare drug on her that's only found in South America."

"Yeah, they did," he said. "So this is what you need to do – route out all of the South American vampires."

Buffy gave him an icy stare.

Dudley gave Buffy a sheepish smile. "There's another thing: she was alive when they carved her up," he said suddenly serious. "Because of the nature of curare, she was very much awake and aware of what was happening until the pain got so severe that she lost consciousness. Curare is quick acting, so she couldn't do anything including calling out or making any gesture. Because of that, there are no defensive wounds; this little girl was tortured to death."

Buffy closed her eyes in pain. "What did she die from?" she whispered, her voice shaky. "The curare poisoning or the wounds?"

Dudley peered at Buffy over his narrowed glasses. "Death from curare is caused by asphyxia, because the skeletal muscles become relaxed and then paralyzed. So I guess the lack of breath killed her long before the loss of blood from the wounds could."

"Oh my God," Buffy said, her eyes transfixed with shock and grief. "The pain and agony she must have gone through." Since she first heard of this death, she felt as if she had been punched in the stomach. "Did you measure the bites?" she asked, clearing her throat.

"Yes," Dudley said picking up another folder from the desk and opening it – this one green. "It took me a while, but I measured and counted each bite personally. She had about forty bite wounds - at least that was what I could find. But using what I gathered from the size and positions, I determined that it came from six different incisors."

"That means at least six different vampires fed from her," Buffy said flatly.

"Yes," he said nodding. "There's barely any blood left in the body. I sent her fingerprints thru AFIS, thinking we might be able to identify our Joan Doe, and got lucky."

"Joan Doe?" she questioned bemusedly.

"Yes, we already have a Jane. A hit and run accident," he said motioning towards a closed drawer.

_Okay_, Buffy thought to herself. _Did she really want to know about the girl?_ To know the name of the victim in Buffy's mind is to care, and when you started to care, you lost your objectivity. But from the first, something about this victim had been calling to her. She hesitated briefly, then she had to ask, "Who was she?"

"She's a Ms. Catherine Dunmore, the local PD sent the information over," said Dudley, handing Buffy the folder. "Her boyfriend had reported her missing. It seems they had a fight and she stormed out of their apartment. He didn't think anything when she didn't come home the night of their fight. But when she didn't return the next day or the next, he went to the police after searching for her. Of course, the police thought she went away to cool down, so that is what they told him. They also stated that if she didn't return by the next day, then he of course could file the missing person's report."

"Mmm," Buffy murmured. "That's not saying anything good about our boys in blue. How then were the police able to identify her so fast?"

"Ms. Dunmore was in the military," he said. "When the boyfriend stressed that she wouldn't have taken off like that even to spite him, they contacted the military base."

"Let me guess, she wasn't there," Buffy said sarcastically.

"How did you know?"

"You don't have to be a mind reader to see where this was heading," she retorted.

"After not finding her, they came down hard on the boyfriend to cover their own incompetence," Dudley sneered. "Well, the police didn't find any foul play in the boyfriend's apartment. It seemed as if she had disappeared into thin air."

"Until we found her," Buffy said with deceptive calm. '_Idiots_,' she thought.

"Yes, you got that in one. Here's a picture of her," he said, handing Buffy a photograph. He gazed at the picture over Buffy shoulders. She was a beautiful woman, but what was left of her wasn't enough to notice. "Hey!" Dudley said looking startled. "I never noticed before that she looked a little bit like you," he said staring speculatively at Buffy and the photo.

Buffy stared woodenly at the photo.

"She was twenty-two years old and had been missing for two weeks."

"I can read!" she snapped gazing at the photograph with haunted eyes.

"Excuse me?" he said taken aback.

"I said," Buffy said through clenched teeth, "I can read."

Several minutes later, Buffy was still staring at the photograph.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 ****Déjà vu**

_**Tuesday: 7:15 a.m.**_

Across the city, Julian Luna sat in his office mulling over the question Buffy had asked him earlier. He was a handsome man with an aquiline nose, gelled black hair, and dark rich chocolate brown eyes. He had never thought the laws needed to change, but after listen to Buffy, he now knew the laws were antiquated. He needed to call a summit with each Primogen of each city in the U.S. and Europe. _Buffy was right_, he thought. The laws that were created at one point, when the Kindred needed to protect themselves from humans, needed an update. The world had changed, but some Kindred continued to live in the dark ages. Doing the same old things. They have to come out of the dark so to speak. After Buffy had left that morning, he couldn't continue his sleep. After existing all of these years, it was amazing how quickly he became accustomed to having someone like Buffy in his thoughts and in his life. He needed her, not just physically, but emotionally.

Suddenly Julian felt a wave of distress bombarding him. '_Lissa_?' he called.

'_I am okay Julian_,' Buffy said.

'_Are you sure?'_

She hesitated. '_I'm sure,'_ she said.

_Okay_, he thought frowning slightly, but before he could continue probing further, she quickly shielded her thoughts.

After viewing the pictures of Ms. Dunmore, Buffy couldn't wait to get out of the morgue. Seeing what the woman once was brought home the fact that they need to find this killer quickly. She needed to find the killer. She felt as if she was trying to tread water. _Every time she thought she was close, something or someone held her back_, she thought with a frown. Soon that thought went out of her head. Several minutes later found her sitting in the passenger seat of a Highlander Escalade with Victor driving. There was a heavy silence as each of them settled comfortably into the seats.

"How did the autopsy go? Victor asked watching Buffy out of the corner of his eyes. "Buffy? Buffy!" he called.

Buffy stiffened abashed. "I am sorry, Victor," Buffy said, giving him a rueful smile. "My mind was miles away," she said. "The autopsy," she said, bleakly. "Doc said she was dosed with curare."

"Curare?" he asked puzzled. "What's that?" he asked.

"It's a rare drug. It's so rare, that the world had forgotten it even exists," Buffy said.

"So if it's rarely used, how come someone found it? They must be really old," said Victor frowning.

"Why do you say that?" Buffy asked, blinking with surprise.

He shrugged. "Because I've never heard of it," he said guiding the car through traffic.

"So?" Buffy retorted, her eyebrows rising in disbelief.

"Well, it's not an obvious drug," he said backtracking. "I was a cop for a long time, and I have investigated a lot of murders including several by poisoning, and not once have I heard of this drug, curare. So I thought to myself it must be an old drug, and that's why I don't remember hearing about it."

"It could be a new drug," she said, with a shake of her head. "But in this instance you are right," Buffy admitted. "Dudley said this drug was mostly found in South America."

"South America?" Victor exclaimed. "There's a lot of distance between there and San Francisco. Have you checked for any South American vampires?" he said with a grin.

"Don't be facetious," Buffy scowled, but inwardly she smiled. Even in the midst of **trouble**, Victor could find some levity. She frowned as she remembered Dudley had made the same statement. _Maybe there was something to the idea_, she thought, making a mental note to ask Julian if any vampire has visited South America lately.

He shrugged and his grin widened.

"There is more," Buffy admitted, her voice strained.

Hearing the note in Buffy's voice, Victor stole a glance at her face. "What?" he asked, his expression serious.

"Here," she said handing him the photograph.

"What's this?" he asked with a puzzled frown, looking at the picture.

"Catherine Dunmore, our latest victim," Buffy said. "This is how she used to look."

"Whoa," said Victor, taken aback. "How did you find that information quickly? The way she was mangled, I never thought we would be able to identify her. How?" he asked.

"Fingerprint?" she said succinctly. "Do you notice anything about the photograph," Buffy asked quietly.

"No," he said, but did a double take after viewing the picture more closely. "It's a picture of you," Victor said, eying her in disbelief. "Have I got the wrong photograph?"

"No," Buffy said looking out the car window. "It's not a picture of me; it's Catherine Dunmore, age 22."

"She looks like you," Victor said, stopping the car. He turned towards her. "What's going on, Buffy?"

"I don't know," she said bleakly. "The only thing I know is that young men were being killed; now they are killing women. And the way they tore into her, the violence seems to be escalating."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8** **The Council.**

**_Tuesday: 10: 30 a.m._**

Several hours later Julian called an impromptu clan meeting. This consisted of the Nosferatu, Gangrel, the Toreadors, Brujah, and a new clan, the Assamites. Each clan was different from each other. The Brujah Kindred were typically outspoken and defiant. The Gangrel's ancestors were gypsies, and they were proud and street smart. The Nosferatu possessed talents both magical and mystical, and they tended to live solitary lives. The Toreadors were elegant, flamboyant creatures both creative and passionate. There was always an artist in the bunch. And the new clan, the Assamites were assassins. There was a lot of noise against having them in the Camarila, but they also brought their own uniqueness.

For several years in San Francisco, Julian had been the Prince of the city. He created the laws and selected which Kindred he would allow in the city, but most importantly, they needed his permission to embrace someone into the Kindred lifestyle. Being the Prince has been all about power. As a Ventrue industrialist, Julian has to be constantly on guard against other clans trying to usurp his position.

He stood at the head of the conference table in the Haven. The Haven is a club once owned by Lillie Langtry, Julian's old girlfriend. For several years, Julian and Lillie had lived together in his mansion across the bay. But that changed when Buffy entered their lives. Jealousy and resentment caused Lillie to do the unthinkable – she broke the Kindred's number one tradition: The masquerade. But she did not die because of that. Lillie was executed because she had also conspired to have Buffy killed and to have a new Kindred take over Julian's city. Since her death, there has been a lack of Toreador leaders willing to stay in the position of being the Primogen.

Upon Lillie's death, the Haven had reverted to Julian who was its co-owner. However, the Toreadors grew angry that Julian had ownership of the club. Since a Toreador had also owned the club, they thought it should go to the new Primogen, whoever he or she may be.

Julian then took roll by calling each clan leader by name, acknowledging their right to be at the meeting. "For the last couple of days," he said, "something has come to my attention that we have unknown Kindred in our fair city. These Kindred didn't see fit to come acknowledge me as their prince," he said with an angry rumble in his voice, "but we had the Gangrel looking through that. The other item on my agenda is a new Toreador Primogen. Peter Turk has been acting Primogen until a permanent could be found. The position was offered to him, but he declined, stating lack of desire. Is there anyone the Toreadors have considered stepping in to be Primogen?"

"Yes, we have," Peter said, with a slight hesitation. He was a third generation Toreador, a second lieutenant in the clan. The fair Lillie herself sired his sire, that's why he got the job. A job he never wanted in the first place. He wasn't cut out to be a leader. Everyone knew this.

"Good," said Julian, momentarily speechless in his surprise. "The clan needs someone strong enough to hold the position; the Toreadors haven't shown any such leadership since Lillie died."

"Since she was murdered, you mean," said a voice at the door.

Everyone turned to watch a beautiful woman walk seductively into the room.

Julian frowned. "Who are you?" he demanded, eyebrows lifted inquiringly.

"Sabine Petit-Raine, the Toreador Primogen," she said taking a chair at the far end of the room. Sabine was a small platinum blond woman barely five feet, with large green eyes that seemed to dominate her face and full pouty lips.

Julian was taken aback by the nonchalant answer. "Why wasn't I told that the Toreadors had a new Primogen?" he questioned.

"I'm sorry, my prince," said Peter. "It's my fault. I should have told you," he said wringing his pale hands nervously.

"I've never seen you before," Julian continued, ignoring Peter. "Why didn't you come to me and acknowledge me as Prince of the city?" he asked.

"I had things to take care of," Sabine said, regarding Julian with a lofty expression.

"So I wasn't important?" he asked flatly.

"That's not what I meant," she said exasperated.

"What did you mean?" asked Julian, with an inquiring lift of his eyebrow.

"I am new to your city," said Sabine with a suggestive smile. "I didn't quite understand the _protocole."_

Julian nodded his head. "Was your sire so ignorant that you were not taught the holiest of Kindred laws?" Julian growled.

Sabine eyes flash gray for a second. "My sire taught all I needed to know," she retorted.

"Then if you aren't ignorant of the laws, then you are being disrespectful."

"No, no," said Peter clamoring. His eyes widened in fright and his breath hitched. "It's my fault," he said on a shaky sigh.

"How?" Julian demanded.

"Uhh-Uhh," Peter stammered, his eyes roaming wildly around the room.

Sabine smiled at Peter with a mock frown. "Ignore him," she said. "As I stated earlier I am new to _votre belle ville. _Your lovely city."

"New?" Julian inquired, choosing to ignore the byplay for a moment.

"_Oui_," she said, giving him a raking glance.

"I see," said Julian, brow knitted. "But you were named clan leader?"

"I am, how do you say this," Sabine said, wrinkling her nose adorably, "_Fort,"_ she admitted sardonically. "Strong."

"Why are you here?" Julian insisted.

She wrinkled her nose delicately. "Didn't you call for all _chefs de clan_ to meet?" she questioned her voice like silk. "Or this was an arbitrary meeting?"

"Don't be facetious," said Julian, his own voice was velvety smooth, yet edged with steel. "You know what I mean."

She gave him a hint of smile, but it didn't reach her cold eyes. "I wanted to be where _ma mère_ spent her last days."

"Your mother?" Julian asked, eyeing her skeptically. "Who is your mother?"

"Lillie," she said. It was as if she had dropped a bomb. Throughout the room, there were several quick intakes of breath.

Julian could only blink in surprise. "Lillie? Lillie Langtry?" he asked. Mixed feelings surged through Julian. '_Lillie_,' he thought. For a person that had meant so much to him, he had barely mentioned her name. One, because it might hurt Lissa to have her name uttered in her presence, and two, even though she had been dead for several years, Julian hadn't quite forgiven her for her trespass against him and Buffy. _They had so much history together. Why couldn't Lillie be happy with just being friends? They made better friends than lovers anyway. Why didn't she see that?_ He sighed and tuned back into the conversation.

"_Oui_," she said with a forced demure smile. "I am the _fille naturelle_and the embraced daughter of Lillie Langtry."

An uncomfortable silence enveloped the room.

"I didn't know that Lillie had a child," said Julian, his voice was carefully colored in neutral shades.

Sabine shrugged. "It was a long time ago."

"I thought you had died," said Daedalus, his tone was apologetic. "At least that was the impression I got from Lillie."

Julian looked at Daedalus in disbelief. "You knew?" asked Julian incredulously.

"Lillie was a friend," said Daedalus stoically. "We did talk occasionally. She told me about the child several years ago. Naturally, it was before she was embraced."

"Naturally," Julian muttered. He hated having things kept back from him. Sure, everyone has a right to his or her privacy, but he would like to have known what was going on. "If you are Lillie's daughter, why haven't you contacted me or any of us before this?"

Sabine dropped her stormy eyes before Julian's steady gaze. "I thought I wouldn't be welcome," she said.

"Welcome!" said Julian with a surprise air. "Of course you would be welcome. Why did you think you wouldn't be?"

She kept all expression from her face when she said quietly, "You had my mother killed."

Julian winced and took a deep breath. "She broke the law," he said. "As Prince of this city, I must uphold the laws. Because of her actions, Kindred died."

Sabine's fist bunched. "The laws are_vieilli_," she retorted. Antiquated. "We are more than what we once were. _Nous sommes robuste, plus intelligent et sans aucun doute plus rapide_. We are stronger, smarter, and definitely faster. Why should we bow down to a lowly human?"

"Yeah," said Cameron. He didn't care about the woman in front of him, and he didn't know Lillie very well. But the newcomer made sense. Why should they hide, when the Kindred are stronger than humans are? Sure, Kindred were human once, but it was a choice each of them made to become something else.

"Because," said Julian, remembering what Buffy had said. "We need mortals for survival. We need to have tighter laws, because in the last few days, mortals around the city are coming up missing."

"So, what does that have to do with us," said Cameron with an arrogant lift of his eyebrow. "We can't police mortals; we are not their mamas or papas."

"No, we are not," acknowledged Cash. "But, it is our responsibility to make sure that one of us is not doing the killing."

"One of us?" said Cameron, shrugging dismissively. "That is absurd. None of us would be so blatant in disregard of the laws," he retorted.

"Well, one of us has been," said Julian matter-of-factly.

"Who says?" Cameron demanded his voice heavy with sarcasm. "The human police that don't know their hand from their foot?"

"No," Julian said. There was an edge to his voice. "I have it on good authority – Kindred authority – that there were Kindred involved with these deaths."

"How many deaths are we talking?" asked the Assamites curiously. The Assamites were shape shifters. They were also mercenaries. No one really knows what sex an Assamite really is. You could be talking to a male but looking at a female. That is why they made the perfect killer.

"It's been about three deaths so far," said Julian with a mild inflection in his voice.

"Three!" said Cameron with an incredulous expression on his face. "All of this over three deaths?"

Julian drew himself up. "It's been three deaths too many," he said, his tone chilly.

"I have been in your fair city for awhile, I never heard of these deaths," said Sabine, with a forced smile. "Don't you think if Kindred were killing humans, it would be in the news?"

"Am I not Prince of this city?" he retorted. "I know how to control my city. Remember I am law here!" said Julian, banging his fist on the table. "Nothing escapes my notice. Nothing," he shouted. Suddenly, the anger deflated and he sighed. "We don't want the people to panic, so I have been keeping everything under wraps," he said softly.

Sabine casually glanced around the room. "So," she said, taking a nail file out of her Prada bag. "What will you do to the _malfaiteu_r?" (perpetrator)

Julian's eyes narrowed thoughtfully on her for a second. "Death," he said, getting up from his chair in a dismissive gesture forgetting the reason he had called the meeting in the first place – The Laws. As the group turned to walk out the door, Julian said, "I want every one of you to check with your people and find out who's doing these murders. I want this person or persons to be found quickly," he demanded. "I can't have dissention in my city," he said. "Cash," he called. "I want to talk to you for a few minutes."

"Sure, Julian," Cash said, pausing on his way out the door.

Julian stood at the empty doorway for a few minutes, watching the newcomer and Cameron headed towards the bar. "I want you to check out our Ms. Petit-Raine. Find out when she entered the city and where she's coming from."

"You don't think she's Lillie's daughter?" Cash questioned curiously.

Julian smiled coldly. "Better to be safe than sorry."

_**Tuesday 12:00 p.m.**_

Buffy needed down time, especially after viewing Catherine Dunmore's body, so she decided to call home. Not finding the one person she needed to talk to, she had Victor drive her to the Haven, where she was sure to find him. The viewing of the body had affected her more than most. _Why?_ She asked herself. _Was it the way the girl had died? Sure, it was awful._ She shook her head. _Nah, that wasn't it_, she thought. She had viewed other deaths that were more gruesome. She took a deep breath, but her mind kept going back to that photograph. That damn photograph. She couldn't get it out of her head. The only difference between that photograph and Buffy was the eyes. In the picture, Catherine's eyes were the picture of innocence; she hadn't been inside the belly of the beast yet. As Buffy walked towards the conference room, she took one last look at the picture she carried in her hand.

Sensing that Buffy was near, Julian, who had been for the past forty minutes sitting and staring at an empty wall, got up to greet her as she walked into the room.

"Hey there," she said dragging him back to the chair to sit in his lap.

"Hey there yourself," he said, nuzzling her neck and inhaling her unique scent of vanilla and spice. "This is a surprise. What are doing here?"

"Can't I just want to see you," Buffy said with a pout.

"A bad day?" he whispered, his breath hot against her ear.

She shrugged. Even now after all these years, the mere touch of his hand sent warming shivers through her.

"Tell me about it?" he said sighing deeply.

"Here," Buffy said, handing Julian the photo of the dead girl.

"What's this," he asked puzzled, turning the photograph over in his hands.

"Ms. Catherine Dunmore. You don't want to see what she looks like now," Buffy said bitterly.

"Ah honey, I am so sorry," Julian said, gathering her more securely into his arms. He glanced at the photograph and almost did a double take. His gaze swung from the picture to the woman in his arms. "She looks a little like you," he said with a slight hesitation.

"Little? She looked a lot like me," Buffy said, her voice raising an octave. Tears slowly found their way down her cheeks. "Because of me, she's dead."

"You don't know that?" said Julian, his dark brows slanted in a frown. He gently wiped her tears. "Don't ever think that," he admonished.

"Why shouldn't I," she retorted. "It's the truth."

"We don't know if that's fact," Julian said firmly, eying her sympathetically.

"Why then was she killed?" Buffy demanded, jumping out of his arms.

"I don't know," he said emphatically. "Maybe it's was some coincidence," Julian said, gazing up at her. "Or maybe there is a mad man out there slaughtering people, because they can. On the other hand, maybe it was an accident."

"Accident!" Buffy cried shrilly. "I just came from the autopsy. What they did to her wasn't an accident. They raped and mutilated her, Julian," she wept, digging her nails in her palm. "When they finished, she was no longer a person. She was just meat," Buffy said, as grief and despair tore at her heart. She whimpered.

Julian rushed to gather her back into his arms. "_La petit, _I'm so sorry."

"I want to catch this bastard that's doing this," Buffy said, her voice muffled by Julian's dark blue jacket. "I can't handle anymore deaths." Suddenly she stiffened and pushed out of his arms. She closed her eyes and slowly lowered her shields.

"What? What is it?" Julian asked bewildered. One moment he was comforting Buffy, and the next she went into Slayer mode. Frowning, Julian peered around him.

"I don't know," she said distractedly. "Something is wrong. Do you smell that?" she demanded, hands on her hips as she walked around sniffing.

"Smell what?" he asked, following her example of sniffing the air. He turned to her and with a negligent shrug, he said, "Stale air, cigarettes, and perfume."

"Perfume?" she questioned. "What kind of perfume?"

"It's a sickly sweet smell," Julian said bemused. "I think it's perfume."

"Who comes to this office but me and Sasha that wears perfume?" Buffy demanded, scowling.

"Are you jealous?" he asked incredulously. "I can't believe you are jealous," he said laughing.

"I'm not jealous," she muttered giving him an irritated look.

"You know I don't have eyes for anyone but you," he said watching her keenly.

Buffy rolled her eyes.

"Okay, I believe you," he said placatingly. "You are not jealous."

"That's right I'm not," she said firmly. "So whose perfume do I smell? It is an interesting perfume," she admitted, wrinkling her nose against the scent that seemed to permeate the whole room. To Buffy, the scent was very distinct; she had smelled it twice before at each crime scene.

"If you are not jealous, then you don't need to know," Julian said, hiding a grin. He knew with his luck, Buffy could read the answer in his mind.

"Julian!" she drawled.

"Lissa!" he drawled, walking her towards the door.

Buffy allowed Julian to guide her through the door and down the steps. "Don't you think I know what you are doing," she said, smiling slightly.

"I am not doing anything," he denied, laughing down into her face.

Suddenly she stiffened.

"What!" Julian said, pushing her behind him. He peered intently throughout the room. "What is it?"

Buffy shook her head. "For a minute there, I thought I saw someone from home."

"Home?" he questioned, grabbing her.

"I must be seeing things," she said with a frown. But out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the same dark hair and white dress that had caught her eye. She shrugged out of his arms and walked slowly into the room, looking over people's heads to catch a glimpse of that person.

"Lissa, what is it?" he asked, his eyes crinkled with concern.

She stopped suddenly in mid walk and Julian, who was walking behind her, crashed into her. "It can't be," she said, gaping at the ethereal looking woman at the end of the bar.

The woman turns around and notices Buffy watching her. "Mummy," she cried, skipping happily towards Buffy.

"It can't be," she repeats, taking note of the woman's dark hair and long, white, almost Victorian dress. "Drusilla?" she said, her eyes blinking with incredulity.

"Mummy!" Drusilla cried, trying to catch Buffy in a hug.

Instinctively, Buffy drew a stake putting it between her body and Dru's.

"Mummy!" she said, giving a start of surprise.

"Lissa! What are you doing?" Julian said, staring flabbergasted.

"Do you know who this is?" Buffy demanded, her heart was pounding madly and her mind was reeling. _What does this mean? It can't be_, she thought, eying the familiar features. _She must be a doppelganger._

"Yes," he said, measuring her for a moment. "She's under my protection."

"Drusilla?!" she asked incredulously. "Insane Drusilla?" Buffy stood in the middle of the room watching Drusilla intently all the while gripping the stake tightly in her hand.

"Well yes," Julian said firmly, guiding both Buffy and Drusilla to a secluded corner. "As far I can tell, she doesn't comprehend many things."

"Duh!"

"Papa Julian is my new daddy and you're my mummy," Drusilla said. "He's not like my old daddy."

"But this Drusilla?" Buffy said, gesturing in disbelief. "From my dimension. She is evil," she said through clenched teeth.

"Lissa," Julian said frowning. "I cannot allow you to harm her."

"She's evil, Julian," Buffy snapped.

"Nevertheless, she hasn't done anything here to warrant your mistrust."

"You are protecting Drusilla?" Buffy asked incredulously.

"If I have to," he said. "Lissa," he continued, arms outstretched.

Buffy shook her head, giving both Drusilla and Julian a wide berth. "I can't believe you would take her side."

"_Mon coeur_, there's no side to take," said Julian in a gentle tone. "I am always on our side."

"Our side," she blurted out, backing slowly away. "Our side."

"Is mummy mad at me, daddy?" Drusilla asked, with a frown on her face.

"Of course not," Julian said with a grimace. "More at me I think," he said absentmindedly. "Why don't you stay with Helen, she will provide you with a drink," Julian said signaling one the waitress. "A drink for Dru," he said, gazing at the dark vampiress. He sighed. He knew that taking a chance on the vampire would cause a problem.

From what he had deduced, she sometimes has some lucid moments. Several days ago Sasha had came frantically into his office because she had found Drusilla wandering the streets. At first, they had both thought she was a newly made vampire. Then he had ascertained after several minutes of interesting conversation that she was almost his age in vampire years, but something about her was off and from her description of how she got here, she had entered a dimensional gate similar to what Lissa had described. At first, all he could feel was pity, but something about her called to him. Inherently he's a very protective person, and he would protect Drusilla, even from the one person he trusted most, his wife Lissa.

In his wildest imagination, he never thought that she would have come from the same place as Lissa. What were the odds? It was going to take a lot of groveling before Lissa would listen to him. But he couldn't let Lissa hurt Drusilla. From what Drusilla had told him, and even Buffy herself, Drusilla's Sire was a sadistic brute. In good conscience, he cannot allow anyone to hurt her now. He is Prince of the City and he protects his own.

­­­­­­­­­­­­

Buffy stormed out of the club, steam seemed to be literally coming out of her ears. She marched over to the car that was waiting for her at the curb and jerked the door open. The slamming of the door caused Victor to jerk up out of his sleep. "Whoa!" he said surprised, eying her in alarm. He checked his watch. "What's going on?" he questioned. "I thought you'd be cuddling up to your sweetheart by now."

"Men!" she fumed.

"Uh, oh," said Victor, rolling his eyes. "What did Julian do?"

"You probably agree with him," Buffy fumed, her lips puckered with annoyance. "You men always stick together."

"So do you women," Victor said mildly, his eyebrows arched mischievously. "Now tell Papa Victor what did the mean bad Julian do?"

Buffy frowned. "Can't you be serious?" she said with a vague hint of disapproval.

"Serious?" Victor asked. Again, the mischievous look came into his eyes. "Why should I be serious? We see too much seriousness in our type of business. We need a little bit of levity in our lives." He turned, easing into a smile. "So?" he said.

"What," she said with a shrug.

Victor eyes were sharp and assessing. "Your problem with Julian," he said. There was a gentle softness in his voice.

For a moment, she studied him intently, then she must have come to some inner conclusion, she said, "Okay." Her eyes blazed with sudden anger. "I found out that Julian is harboring an enemy of mine. If that wasn't weird, she is from the same dimension that I was from."

"What!" he said, surprise made his voice squeak. As partners and friends, he had known about Buffy's surprise entry into this world. But it is still a shock to learn that other people were coming from her world. From Buffy's descriptions, he knew that he didn't want to live there. But what was the chance of having two people, who actually know each other, entering the same portal. One was an anomaly, but two may be a pattern.

"Yeah, Drusilla," Buffy said bitterly. "My old boyfriend was her sire," she admits wryly.

"If she's from your dimension, what is she doing here?" Victor asked, his eyes full of concern.

"I was so angry, I never thought to ask," Buffy said thoughtfully.

"Don't you think you should find out? Plus if she is your enemy, do you think she was the one that is killing those guys?"

"Oh my God," she said, her eyes widened in alarm. "I wasn't thinking. Remember the description of Mr. Dean's date."

"Yes," said Victor, thoughtfully. "Dark hair. Short."

"That's Drusilla!" she snapped, jumping out the car and rushing towards the club.

"Uh, oh," said Victor running after Buffy.

"Drusilla!" yelled Buffy running through the club door. The glass door slammed loudly in her haste; it vibrated for a few minutes on its hinges before the glass smashed into several pieces.

The room full of both Kindred and humans turned to watch her cross the room in disbelief.

"What the…?" exclaimed Julian, as he walked out of a back room.

But with supernatural speed Buffy crossed the room to grabbed Drusilla by the throat. Drusilla squealed in fright and pain, her face turning paler by the minute.

"Lissa!" Julian thundered. "By the holy, what is wrong with you?" he questioned, his face glazed with shock.

"Me?" Buffy yelled. "You are the one that let a killer loose in the city," she said, holding a struggling Drusilla aloft with one hand.

Julian eyed the enraged Slayer cautiously, ignoring the muttering of the other people in the room. "Lissa, put her down," he said, holding out his hands carefully.

"You want me to put her down?" Buffy mocked, her mouth took on an unpleasant twist. She looked venomously at the struggling Dru at the end of her arm.

Julian inclined his head, with a forced smile.

His body tense, Victor cautiously eyed Buffy. _If he could get an opening_, he thought. Power flared in the room, making it smell of jasmine and hibiscus. Instinctively, he moved to block her.

Sensing his approach, Buffy used her telekinesis to push Victor roughly across the marble floor, crashing him into several tables and chairs. He winced as pain radiated throughout his body. He shook his head to clear it and sat up gingerly. Victor could feel his stomach knotting. What can he do? He knew she was powerful. There was no hint of vulnerability he could see. He got up slowly, his left hip creaking, but Julian gave him a cautious shake of his head.

"Lissa, can we talk about this?" Julian said with a supplicant air. He knew that standing before him was no longer Lissa his wife, but Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the warrior and predator of his kind. He had to proceed with caution.

She turned stormy gray eyes to look at him.

Julian blanched. Since that accident several years ago, Buffy's powers had grown and were sometimes unpredictable. Merging their essences had created a type of symbiotic relationship between them, which included characteristics like a Ventrue Kindred. She was no longer just a Slayer, but other. They weren't quite sure what she was. She wasn't human as one would characterize a human, but also she wasn't Kindred. She was powerful and growing more powerful daily.

In this new world that Buffy had found herself in, she became the last remaining Slayer. During a domination fight between the Vampire Remnants and demons, the last Slayer had fallen and no new one had risen up. In a lightning fast motion, Julian rushed Buffy, and in retaliation, she flung Drusilla across the room.

More power flared into the room, and Victor was almost breathless as he sprinted across the room just in time to catch Drusilla, tumbling both of them to the floor.

"Bad mummy," Drusilla croaked, holding her swollen throat.

Buffy, eyes a dark and stormy gray, growled. She bared her teeth, springing forward, and Julian charged her. He blocked her arm, and soon the fight was on in earnest, each not willing to give any quarter. Both Julian and Buffy were not only using physical power, but also mystical power, each trying to get the upper hand, consciously trying not to hurt each other. Much.

Suddenly amidst the sound of battle, a voice yelled, "**_Freeze_**, this is the police."

Abruptly coming to her senses, Buffy stopped in mid lunge. She turned to find herself surrounded by several police officers holding guns by the broken front door. Breathing harshly, she gazed around in disbelief. _Did I do that_, she thought, eying the broken furniture and tableware on the floor. _Did we do that_, she amended eying Julian. He was also breathing harshly, and he was favoring his right side. His face was bruised and his clothing was ripped. He limped towards the voice.

"Freeze," the voice called again, this time harshly, making Julian stop with his palm out as if saying, _'I have no weapons.'_

"Can someone tell me what's going on here?" said a portly officer sourly as he walked fully into the room, hitching up his sagging pants.

Both Buffy and Julian turned to each other and shrugged.

"It's nothing," Julian said smoothly, limping to shake the man's hands.

"Nothing?" the man questioned, eyeing both Julian and the room askance.

"Yes, it is nothing," Julian said, his voice was smooth but insistent. He walked in front of the man, his movements stiff and awkward, and the sound of the guns being cocked rang loudly in the silence. Ignoring it, Julian said softly, "Look at me."

The man was helpless to resist and soon Julian had captured his eyes.

"Repeat after me," Julian said. "It's nothing."

The man blinked and his body froze, as if he was stuck in cement. "It's nothing," the man intoned.

Suddenly there was a clamor of noise.

"Sarg?" a voice yelled.

Someone exclaimed. "We have to get out here! He put a spell on O'Brien."

"Yes," someone agreed.

A loud noise burst in the room. One of the police officers had instinctually fired his gun. The bullet shattered a wall mirror missing Julian Luna by an inch. The officer backed away slowly, looking at the heated gun in his hand. In the shocked silence, a loud growl vibrated throughout the room. The man looked toward where he thought the threat would be coming from, Luna. He never thought to look at the inconspicuous young woman on his right.

Wind gathered from nowhere and lightening arced in the room; Buffy's eyes darkened to a stormy gray color. She waved her hand and the men were shoved hard against the wall. She held them effortlessly, and Julian walked towards them and said. "There was no disturbance; it was a false report."

They were yelling as each of them fought the mystical power that Buffy used to hold them.

"Nooo," a young man wailed as Julian captured his eyes.

"There was no disturbance; it was a false report," he said.

Soon, each man was nodding and repeating the phrase. Julian then proceeded to erase both the policemen's and civilians' minds of the memory of the fight.

After making sure that the fight did not have any lasting effects and repercussions, Buffy walked out through the opening where a glass door once stood.

"Lissa? We need to talk," Julian said, watching her cautiously.

Her steps slowed, and she took a deep breath as she sought to erect a wall of defense against him. She turned around slowly. "I have nothing to say," she said looking at him, tears welling up in her eyes. There was a long brittle silence, and Buffy felt her heart hammering in her chest.

Julian strode towards Buffy and extended a hand, looking at her intensely. She took an abrupt step back. He stopped and inhaled a deep breath. He moved closer. "I love you," he said.

Buffy moved away, her lower lip trembling. "I'm ready to leave," she said simply to Victor who was watching with concern on his face. She turned on her heels and strode to the door. Victor eyed Julian a moment, shrugged, and helplessly followed Buffy out the door.

Julian sighed; he could feel her pain pounding at him. He wanted to say so much, but she wasn't ready to listen. He could feel the shut door between their minds.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**Roller Coaster**

Buffy was tormented by her confusing emotions. She felt as if she was on an emotional roller coaster. One minute she was up, the other minute she was down. She took a deep breath trying to force her confused emotions into some kind of order. Her mind drifted back to the fight she had with Julian. Over the years, she and Julian had sparred in no holds barred fights, but she had never deliberately tried to hurt him. Part of her had instinctually not wanted to hurt him; on the other hand, he had hurt her when he chose Drusilla over her. Drusilla. She cannot wrap her mind over that one. What was she doing here? Was she a doppelganger? Does she belong to this universe or the next? Buffy wished she could go back and calmly ask these questions, but her anger was swift and fierce, not only at Julian but at the entire situation. All she could think about was how tired she felt. Since these murders had happened, she felt as if she was operating in a fog. A fog that she could not get out of. She shook her head in despair. If she wanted to do her job properly, then her head has to be in the game.

"Are you alright?" Victor asked, giving her a sidelong glance as he maneuvered the car through the heavy traffic.

"I'm fine," she said, turning to look at him. "I can do my job," she said quietly.

"That's not what I asked," he said gruffly. "I asked if you are alright." he said, his eyes gentle with understanding.

Buffy gave a heavy sigh, and with a shrug, she said, "Sure."

Victor patted her clumsily on her leg. "What are you going to do?" he asked.

"My job, I guess," she said as she surveyed the road judiciously. "If it was Drusilla doing these murders, then we will find out. The evidence will tell us."

"And if it's her?"

"Then let God have mercy on her, because I wouldn't. And my own husband won't get in my way," she said fiercely.

**Tuesday 2:00 p.m.**

Connor entered the restaurant right on time. He followed a hostess to a table at the back. He looked around for a minute, making sure that he wasn't recognized. He was sitting for fifteen minutes before he heard a voice whispering in his ear, "If it isn't the feebs." He flinched as a hand brushed his shoulder.

A woman sat next to him, keeping her hand lightly on his arm. "Your heart is beating awfully fast, Connor. I didn't mean to frighten you," she breathed.

"You didn't," he stammered. "I just wasn't expecting you."

Her eyebrows rose in inquiry

"I -I meant this soon," he said with a stammer. Connor looked away quickly. _God, she unsettled him._

"I have a gift for you," he said.

"Really?" she said

"Yes," Connor squirmed; he could drown in those eyes.

"What is it?" she said bouncing up and down in glee like a little child.

"Not here," he chided looking around with a frown.

"Can I have a hint?" she asked, smiling sweetly.

Connor leaned in and whispered a few choice words in her ear.

"Oh goody!" she squealed, clapping her hands in delight.

Connor's eyes lit up with relief. She liked the present.

* * *

Julian sat at his office desk brooding. It was not an emotion anyone who knew him had seen lately, especially since he had met Lissa. But right now, he felt that Lissa was his problem. He had never known a person that had frustrated him as she did. What does she want him to be? He can't be her lapdog. His own people were questioning things, believing that she is the one that rules the city. He had to show them – He was the Prince of the City and Lissa was his wife. In the marriage, they are partners, but in running the city, there is only one leader. And he was that leader. Loving someone doesn't have to make them weak.

For the last couple of weeks, even before the murders happened, he had noticed small little things that made no sense. He had chalked it up to being over-tired. Even Lissa had mentioned that same fact. To him, it seemed that he was battling both Lissa and being the Prince. But Lissa had to understand that she can't continue to undermined his authority in public as she does. They were a team, and they had to stick together. He sighed as his mind went back over the ugly scene. In the last hour, his office had been inundated with family members telling him that he had to apologize for something he never thought he did wrong in the first place. First, it was Daedalus, then Sasha and then his kids, who heard all the way in Los Angeles and San Diego. His kids. He had to smile. What miracles they were. Two sons. He had never thought he would get the chance at having more blood children, especially when he gave that up to be Kindred. He had of course tried contacting Lissa through their link, but she was avoiding him. He had even tried the old-fashioned way, the telephone, but she wouldn't answer that either. The only thing he was getting was a voice message, stating if it was he, he could go to hell. But doesn't Lissa understand he was in hell already? Maybe a hell of his making, but a hell nevertheless.

He had tried to understand but now he was angry. It was all Lissa's fault. They wouldn't be in this mess if she had taken the time to actually listen.

The telephone rang. He sighed. Back to work.

"Hello," he said, putting the receiver to his ear. After thirty minutes of conversation, it was time to go back to work.

* * *

Review please! 


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: ****Mumbo Jumbo**

**Tuesday: 7:00 p.m.**

Buffy was weary; she had barely gotten enough sleep the night before. After finding one body, now it was the second day and the second body and she wasn't any closer to finding the killer. She knew the fight she had had with Julian was taking a toll on her, both physically and emotionally, but she wasn't ready to acknowledge her culpability in the fight.

The fight had opened her eyes and made her realize that something was wrong. No matter what she had done, she felt as if she was living in a world of fog. Even the simplest decisions were escaping her. But it wasn't just her, everyone at A.D.A.P. seemed to be affected. It had been six whole weeks since the vampire killings. They should have apprehended a suspect or the killer already, but no such luck. Each time, Buffy believed that she was close, she seemed farther and farther away. There was Connor's unreasonable jealousy and his habit of questioning orders and Jocelyn, trying to exert an authority over Buffy. The only one that seemed to not be affected was Burke. And Burke was never sane in the first place, living as he did in his own little world – which was called techno-geek.

When Buffy had recruited Burke, it was with the understanding that Burke would not do magic at A.D.A.P., not because they wouldn't understand but because magic was such an elemental gift. It was in him and around him. The other members barely understood that werewolves and vampires existed, but to have to explain magic too? It would be like a layperson trying to understand why the sky was blue. It would be hard.

At seven o' clock, Buffy found herself at Burke Levy's home. At age twenty- two, Burke lived with his parents in the converted basement of a huge brownstone apartment. Burke was a second-generation witch. His parents were powerful, practicing witches. Buffy knocked on the front door and entered the building. Buffy explained why she needed help, and it didn't take a lot of time before they found that she was under a spell – a spell so subtle that if she was a different person, she wouldn't have noticed. She was under a spell of confusion. It was determined that if Buffy was spelled, maybe the other members of A.D.A.P. were spelled too. The Levys, who would do anything for Buffy after she had saved John's life, gathered their supplies and followed her to her car.

Twenty years ago, Buffy had saved John Levy's life, and he would always be grateful. Youthful in magic, a spell he was working on went awry causing a demon to be brought forth. Recognizing what it was, Buffy quickly dispatched it, earning a lifetime of friendship. So what if she never ages, she was their friend and indeed, she was special.

It was now 8:00 p.m., the sun was no longer shining. A hint of a breeze flowed through the surrounding trees sending a small chill through Deirdre Levy. She huddled in her jacket as the heat of August turned slowly to the chill of September. She stopped suddenly, her hand to her heart.

"Are you okay?" asked John, noting that she had stopped.

She frowned. It was as if a hand had ran icy fingers down her spine. "I'm fine," she said, shaking it off. If Deirdre was prophetic, she would have known to say something but she was not, so she chalked that moment up to the chill of the waning sun.

It was eight o'clock at night and the Levys were surprised as they entered through the back of A.D.A.P. to find the office full. Buffy then explained that because of the recent murders and pressure to solve it, everyone was working overtime, including the lowly clerks whose job it was to fetch and carry paperwork and coffee. They would take turns taking naps. But there were a lucky few that would go home, get a few hours of sleep, and then start the cycle over again.

"Mom! Dad!" Burke said, pushing his glasses up on his face in surprise as he watched his parents walk into the room. "What are you doing here?"

"Hello, son," said Deirdre Levy walking over to give her son a kiss on the cheek. "We thought it was time to see where you work."

"At 8:00 at night?" he said skeptically.

Deirdre shrugged.

"Mom? Dad? What's going on?" Burke asked wrinkling his nose in bafflement.

"Can't a mother visit her only son because she felt like it?" she asked, ruffling Burke's curly hair.

"Mooom," he wailed, ducking his head in embarrassment. "I'm at work," he muttered with a blush, while cautiously looking around. His blush deepened after getting surreptitious grins from his coworkers.

"Hush," she admonished, smiling at his red face.

"Dee-Dee, leave the boy alone," John Levy said giving the younger man a sympathetic smile. Even if Dee insisted on treating Burke like a child, he was a man, even if he lived at home.

Hearing the commotion, Connor walked out of his office. He frowned after a quick glance at the clock. "Ma'am, as you can see we are very busy," he said, walking over to a coffee machine. "You can visit your boy another time," he said, his voice heavy with sarcasm as he looked around the office at the people milling about.

Soon there was a mad scramble as the men and women rushed to look busy.

John Levy's eyebrow arched.

"When we are not quite so busy," Connor continued as he sipped his cup of coffee. He walked forward and motioned the couple towards the front door.

"I invited them," Buffy said quietly behind him.

"You!" Connor said spinning around. He looked at Buffy with disgust. All of a sudden, it seemed as if a wave of hate just washed over him, and in that moment if Connor had been wearing his weapon, he would have shot Buffy. He frowned. "What's going on here?" he wondered blinking.

Buffy eyed him thoughtfully. She looked at John and gave him a quiet nod.

"Who are you?" said Deirdre, with the lift of one of her eyebrows.

"Mom, this is Connor…" said Burke hurriedly.

"I didn't ask you," she said to her son mildly. She continued to gaze at Connor.

Burke blushed and with a stammering apology, he walked over to the water cooler.

Dee-Dee sighed and gave her son a frowning gaze. _She would apologize to him later_, she thought.

"If you must know, I'm Connor Adams, the director," he said stretching out his hand towards John, who was standing nearest to him. With a slight hesitation, John Levy eyed Connor's outstretched hand for a minute. He must have come to some inner conclusion for he gave his hand in return. As they clasped hands, Connor froze as an arc of electricity ran through his body, making both his and John's eyes turn inward showing the sclera, the '_white_' of their eyes.

"John!" Deirdre shouted as she felt magic arching through the room. John didn't tell her how they were going to confront Connor, so the feeling of heavy magic in the air had frozen her for a second. She then rushed over to Connor and John, her eyes wide in fright. "What is it?" she cried.

Water splashed onto the tile floor as Burke rushed to his father. "Dad?" Burke questioned, in bewilderment. His eyes widened as he felt the heaviness in the air and smelt something like burnt skin.

Mouths literally dropped open as electricity continued to flow from Connor's hand to John's and as both of them started to glow. One person even fainted, not understanding what she was seeing.

"What the…" Connor demanded, eyes popping open in fright.

In the midst of the stunned silence, Jocelyn and Dudley both walked into the room.

"What's going on here?" Jocelyn yelled, shivering as she too felt the magic in the air.

With out conscious thought, Buffy and Deirdre quickly grabbed both men, trying to unclasp their hands.

Suddenly with a big whoosh of air, John and Connor's hands were free.

Connor stood in the middle of the room shaking, his face drawn and pinched, and his hand fisted at his side. He swallowed the lump that was lodged in his throat. "I don't know what's going on here, but I don't want any mumbo jumbo in this room."

"Mumbo jumbo?" Burke squeaked incensed on his parents' behalf. "That wasn't mumbo jumbo. It was magic."

"Magic?" Connor said eyeing Burke in disbelief. "Yeah right," he scoffed, rolling his eyes in disgust. "Like magic exists."

"Magic does exist," Burke retorted, his eyes narrowed in anger.

"Burke? Hush!" said his mother. "He's an unbeliever; you cannot force someone to believe."

"But…" he protested, looking at her doubtfully.

"No buts," she said firmly, taking note of Connor's trembling form.

"How do you know that magic doesn't exist?" asked John, wincing when his hand brushed against his leg. He was watching Connor intently, who was holding his own hand gingerly.

Connor frowned, nervously looking around the room. "It just doesn't," he said, his mouth tightened into a stubborn line.

"What about Paavo?" John asked, speaking of the vampire who had just walked into the room with Charity beside him.

"What about him?" Connor sneered. "He's not magic; he's just a stinking vampire," he said, his lips curling with disgust.

Paavo's eyes narrowed, and he growled.

The sound echoed through the quiet room and the woman who had fainted before came out of her swoon just in time to faint again.

"He's not a stinking vampire!" Charity cried, rushing forward, only to be held back by Paavo. "He's Kindred," she snapped.

Paavo eyed her thoughtfully for a moment. He must have come to some inner conclusion, because his eyes continued to travel over her face then searched her eyes.

_At last_, Charity thought, as her gaze boldly met his. A delicious shudder heated her body. Ever since she had met him, she had dreamt of being within his embrace.

John put up his hands in a stop gesture, and for the first time, everyone noticed his reddened palm.

"Dad! Your hands," said Burke startled.

John grimaced, and without looking at his palm, he sighed and said, "Don't worry son, it will heal."

Burke eyed his father worriedly. He could only imagine the incredible pain he must be feeling, but he gave him a small smile and an understanding nod.

"How about Victor?" John asked Connor. "He's a werewolf, don't you consider him magic?" he asked gently.

Connor gave John a dry stare.

"I guess not," he said. "Mmm," he murmured, looking around the room as if searching for something. "Then if magic doesn't exist," he said walking up to the other man, "why then you are under a spell?"

"What?" said Connor, his mouth dropping open in shock.

"What?!" cried Jocelyn, her eyes flashing to Connor in surprise.

"From the minute I entered this building, I could sense a magical barrier around the building and the people."

Buffy drew herself up in astonishment. She didn't know that. She thought only the key people were spelled. But the building?

"And when three people walked into this room, I felt a spell of compulsion on them," John continued.

"Three?" asked Burke alarmed. "Who is it?" To be able to spell a building, plus the people in it, a witch or sorcerer must be truly talented and had been practicing magic for years. Although Burke had lived in a magic community, he didn't know anyone that strong. Plus to hear that the building that he worked in was spelled, doesn't say a lot for him as witch.

John's gaze wandered around the room, touching on each person. His eyes rested on Connor whose expression was that of complete unconcern. "You," he said pointing to him. "The gentleman in the corner," he said, pointing out Dudley. "And the lovely lady next to him."

"We are not under any magic spell," Connor denied strongly. "We would know," he said.

The others nodded in unison.

"How do you know?" John asked. "If you are not under a spell, what happened to your hand and mine?"

"It's static," he said defensively, his face alit with bitter triumph. "Static electricity in the air."

John shook his head in disbelief. This man was definitely stubborn. "If you aren't under a spell, do you mind if I try to cleanse you?" he asked conversationally.

"Yes, I do mind," Connor retorted indignantly. "We are not under a spell because magic doesn't exist."

"Okay," John said coming to an internal decision. He nodded at both Buffy and Deirdre. The women had been placing protective crystals in strategic locations creating a triangle. With a few incantations, the crystals formed an invisible barrier, barring anyone from leaving the room.

"What the…" Connor cried again, as he felt an invisible net catch him. He couldn't move and soon he couldn't talk.

The women had placed the crystals in such a way that it also had captured both Dudley and Jocelyn in its net.

For the next half hour, the members of A.D.A.P. thrashed and convulsed as their bodies locked into fetal positions against the powerful magic. Soon raised voices were heard, as pain struck their bodies, making them cry out in agony. Connor screamed as the white magic cleansed their souls of the black poison. When the cleansing was finished, they were incoherent and as weak as babes.

"That's the best we could do," said John solemnly, sweat running down his face to drench his shirt.

"Thank you," Buffy said. Her thanks were heartfelt. _No one deserved to have someone use him or her as puppets_, she thought as she silently watched her team, who lay on the floor. "Are they going to be okay?"

"Yes, but they are still vulnerable to another attack," John said on a sigh. "Their aura is clean, but it's wide open; it needs to be closed."

Buffy frowned and worried her bottom lip. "I have a place where they can go."

"Good, they are going to need it," John said.

She turned worried eyes to him. "Do you think the person who put the spell on them will know that's it's off?"

He thought about it for a second, then shook his head. "Not right away, no."

"John?" Buffy called. "Another question before you leave. Can you trace back the magic signature to follow the practitioner?"

"I think so," he said wearily. "But I need to rest first. This took a lot out of me."

She eyed him for a moment. "Are you okay?"

He nodded.

"Let me know what you come up with," she said, her voice following him as he and Deirdre walked out the door.

He gave her a lackluster wave of his hand.

Buffy watched them for a minute, then turned to the former members of the team. She motioned to a couple of people to move them off of the floor. She needed to get them to a secure location. If and when the person found out that the group was no longer under the spell, everything would hit the fan. She sighed; they probably won't like it when she tells them that they would be unable to come back to work. Not as they were; it's going to take months of magic therapy before they would be healed. She could feel a headache coming on. She remembered when they had first started the job, each of them had been optimistic; now she had to call the President and tell him that half of his group was gone due to magical influences.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: All characters from BtVS belong to Joss Whedon and the world of Kindred the Embrace belongs to FOX, Spelling Television Inc, White Wolf or the copyright individual...**

**Chapter 11**

**Questions and Answers**

_**Tuesday: 9:00 p.m.**_

Since the fight with Julian, Buffy had been experiencing conflicting emotions, so much so that she could barely concentrate on the job. It's affect had been noticed by Victor, who suggested that she and Julian needed to talk. And she had to agree, especially since she felt him trying to contact her earlier through their link. Everywhere she had went, she could feel him. About a hundred years ago, she and Julian perform a blood bond. This bond was to ensure that both of them knew where each other was at all times. It was more to protect themselves than to check up on each other. Buffy had felt Julian's anger and disappointment with her, but she wasn't in a happy mood to begin with. _Finally_, she thought. _Everything is coming to a head._ _Maybe Julian would understand if she explained what had been going on in the last few days. _She sighed.

It was nine p.m. on the dot when Buffy entered the mansion on the hill. She hesitated at the door to the living room when she spied Drusilla playing on the carpeted floor with Sasha and her children.

"Lissa," Julian said, his face closed. He was standing in the doorway to his office.

She turned towards him and said testily, "We need to talk."

Julian nodded and, with a gesture, ushered Buffy into his office.

Buffy chewed on her lower lip and stole a look at him. She chose her words carefully. "I'm sorry about the fight," she said, taking note of the healing scratches on his face.

Julian sighed as he took a seat behind his desk.

"You are not saying anything," she demanded, hands akimbo.

"What do you want me to say?" he asked with an incredulous air.

"Something," she muttered.

He stifled an oath. "Why are you always running?" he said abruptly.

Her mouth dropped open. "Running?" she said, clearly surprised.

"Yes, running," he said gruffly. "I have felt your pain and confusion all day, and all I wanted to do was gather you up in my arms, but you were closed to me."

"I wanted to be alone," she said defiantly.

"Alone?" he questioned. "You are a part of me; you are never alone. But, I'm tired of you running. Whenever the situation gets too hard, you run."

"I never run from a fight," she denied hotly.

Julian sighed. "It's never about the _'fight'_ but more about your emotions. I've noticed that if anything emotional happens that you don't understand, you retreat internally."

"I–I," she said with a frown.

"I know you are afraid," Julian said softy.

"Afraid, of course not," she denied.

"Afraid, yes," Julian nodded. "Afraid of giving yourself totally, but we have been together for five hundred years – I'll never leave you. Don't you think it is time for you to stop running?" Julian said with a frown.

Buffy avoided his gaze. "I didn't know I was running," she said softly.

"Well, if you didn't know then, you know now," he said.

"Sometimes it is hard to let go; part of me is afraid that if I give all of me, you would hurt me."

"Hurt you?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes, hurt me."

"Lissa, you cannot keep punishing me for the actions of Angelus."

"I'm not," she denied startled.

"Yes, you are," said Julian. "I'm not Angelus. I will not turn on you."

_Is he right?_ she wondered with a frown. "But you are always keeping secrets from me?" Buffy said puzzled.

"That doesn't mean I will turn on you. I am trying to protect you," he said in a low, composed voice.

"I don't need protecting," she said stiffening as she haughtily tossed her long hair.

"I m your husband; I will always protect you," he said pushing himself to a standing position. He walked around the desk and took Buffy into his arms. "I love you."

She stiffened for a moment, then she relaxed. "I love you too," she said, her heart light. "I really didn't mean to hurt you," she said with a sigh, burrowing deeply into his arms.

"You didn't hurt me," he said, misunderstanding her. "Its only a couple of scratches," Julian said, his voice a deep rumble.

Buffy sighed, wondering if she should correct him, but decided he was giving her an out. "If you say so," Buffy said with a wry smile, her hand caressing his face. "But I'm tired of you keeping secrets from me. Case in point Drusilla."

He opened his mouth.

She pushed away from him and put her hands up into stopped gesture. "Don't give me any bullshit about not being Kindred. Where did Drusilla come from? Is she my Drusilla?"

"Yours?" he said archly.

She blushed. "You know what I mean," she said walking over to the couch with her arms crossed.

He sighed. "From what I could gather, she's from the same dimension as you. She was caught in one of those dimensional pockets and entered this world. Even crazy as she is, she had figured out that she wasn't in her right place."

"How did she get here?" she asked stiffly.

Julian gave her a look.

She rolled her eyes in exasperation. "How did you and her become so cozy?" she said, her voice heavy with sarcasm.

"She was found feeding on the street," he said quietly.

"What?" she said, gazing at him in disbelief.

"Sasha found her on the street feeding. Thinking that she was a fledgling, she brought her to my notice. You know we have to protect the masquerade at all times."

"Yes," she said nodding. "What happened?"

"She was brought to me, then I had to ascertain how she came to be here," he admitted.

"She told you all that," Buffy asked.

"Yes, sometimes she is lucid, more times than not," he admitted with a wry smile.

"How long has she been in our world?" Buffy asked with a puzzled frown.

"Why?" Julian questioned cautiously.

"Because I'm wondering when she got into town," Buffy said. "The killings started six weeks ago."

Julian hesitated; he didn't want to say the wrong thing.

Buffy eyed him thoughtfully. "I guess that answers my question," she said dryly. "Do you think Drusilla did it?" she asked abruptly.

"No," he said.

"Are you sure?"

"Sure as I'm standing here," he said with watchful eyes.

"Why are you sure?" Buffy demanded, irked by his manner.

Julian gave a huge sigh. _How can he say this, so that she could understand?_

"You chose her over me," she said with gritted teeth.

Blinking in disbelief, Julian said, "Uhh. I would never choose Drusilla over you."

"What do you call it?" she said, her arms crossed.

Julian gave a deep sigh and walked over to sit beside her on the sofa. He took her hands in his and looked her in the eyes. "It wasn't about choice, Lissa."

"If it wasn't about choice, what then?" she demanded.

Julian thought about what he and Buffy had done for the past several years. They had been through a lot, but for her to think that he would choose someone else after all this time, she must be crazy. "Baby, how many ways can I prove my love? I would die for you. You are my heart and my soul. Without you I have no reason to live. And if you don't know that by now, then you are a fool. Nothing," he said letting go of her hands to take her chin in his palm. He gazed intently into her eyes. "Nothing will ever come between us," he said speaking with quiet firmness. "If it comes down to between us and Drusilla, I will always choose us."

"But you did choose her," Buffy tone hardened, moving her chin out of his grasp.

Julian sighed in exasperation. "You were being unreasonable," he said sharply, jumping up from the chair to pace up and down in front of her.

"Unreasonable?" Buffy queried with a sneer.

"Yeah," he snapped, fixing her with a level stare.

Buffy could feel an unwelcome blush creeping into her cheeks. She sat up in the chair, twisting her shirt nervously in her hands, while avoiding Julian's gaze. She gave an anxious cough, then said, "Is there anything I need to know? Any more secrets?"

"At least one," Julian admitted apologetically.

"What?" she demanded eying him cautiously. _Did she want to hear this, she_ _thought._

"The Toreadors have a new Primogen," Julian said, cutting into her thoughts. "Her name is Sabine Petit-Raine."

Buffy could feel the shock to her system. For years, the Toreadors had been operating in San Francisco without a leader; now they had one. She smiled thinly. "Ooh, pretentious name," she said mockingly.

Julian shrugged. "Apparently, she has been in town for awhile and was voted in as Primogen."

Buffy's brow furrowed. "Let me get this straight – She has been in town for awhile, but you just met? I've never heard of her, have you?"

"No," he said shaking his head. "Today was the very first time that I had met her. I didn't know she existed until she introduced herself this afternoon."

She frowned. "Did the Toreadors?" Buffy asked lightly.

"Apparently so," Julian said tersely. "Peter didn't seem surprised to see her."

"So the Toreadors have their own agenda?"

Julian nodded, his lips twisted into a cynical smile.

"I guess you do know," Buffy said, studying his face. "Did she have any explanation of why she didn't introduce herself to you as the prince?"

"She said she was afraid," he said with a mocking smile.

"Afraid?!" Buffy exclaimed, looking at Julian in astonishment. She knew Julian could be ruthless and scary sometimes, but to her, he's a pussy cat; she thought it was inconceivable for someone to be afraid of him. But then, Buffy had a rose-colored view of Julian. "Why was she afraid?"

"She's Lillie's daughter."

She stiffened in shock. "What?" She hadn't heard that name for at least five hundred years. She knew the others talked about her, and she didn't mind. Lillie was a part of Julian's life before Buffy had entered it; however, Lillie couldn't live with the fact that Julian had found someone new, so she tried to erase Buffy out of Julian's life.

"You heard me."

"What! How?" she asked dazed.

Julian looked at his wife in concern. "Apparently, Lillie had a natural child before she was embraced. After Lillie was embraced, she embraced her own child." Julian shook his head in dismay. "I could never do that," he muttered, "no matter how much I wanted to, especially after watching my children die."

"Are you sure?"

"Daedalus confirmed that Lillie had had a natural child. If indeed this Petit-Raine is the daughter, the only thing we can do right now is to welcome her."

"How about you? Do you think that she's Lillie's daughter?"

"I don't know. She doesn't look like her, but we don't always look like our parents."

"What are you going to do?"

"About what?" he asked.

"They are snubbing your authority as the prince in your face."

"Isn't that what you've been doing?" he asked archly.

"What?" she said in shocked and disbelief-filled voice. "No! Do you actually think I have been doing that?" she questioned, waiting anxiously for his answer.

Julian shrugged. "Yes."

"Oh my God," she cried. "I never thought I was doing that. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Little one, I know you are a natural born leader and I respect that, but when you attack Drusilla in a place that is Kindred owned, people are bound to talk. Especially after one of the council meetings."

"Oh God, the council meeting?" she cried. "I never did ask what was going on, and I never meant to attack you," she said. "I have been under a lot of stress lately. It's been six weeks, and I haven't found a hint of the killer as of yet."

"Yeah, that is strange," Julian said with a frown. "Not even the Gangrels could find any information. And we have been working on this for the same amount of time as you," he said with bewilderment. "I have been noticing other things as well."

"Like what?" she asked.

"Nothing," he said, with a shake of his head.

"Julian? What did I tell you about keeping secrets?" she drawled.

"Honey, this is not a secret," he said. "I must keep some things close to my vest."

"Alright," she said with a pout, "I guess you don't want to know that we are close to finding the killer."

"Really?" he asked surprised. "How? Who is it?"

"I really don't know who yet," she admitted. "But maybe in a few hours we'll know. But I do know that it has to be a female. How many women…?" Suddenly something in her mind clicked. "Perfume!" she shouted.

"What?"

Buffy grabbed Julian by the lapels of his jacket. "Do you truly believe that Drusilla doesn't have anything to do with the murders?" she asked. This was important. Her eyes bore sharply into his.

"Yes," he said adamantly, shaking her off.

She stumbled, but she managed to catch herself before she could fall. She gave him a sharp look.

"Sorry," he mouthed.

"Then it has to be some other woman that is new to the area," she said speculatively. "Remember, you always said that it wasn't one of your Kindred, so it must be a rogue. Then I remembered that perfume."

"What perfume?" he asked, his eyes narrowed.

"When I was in your office, there was this interesting smell. At the time you had distracted me, but that scent reminded me of the same scent that I smell at each crime scene. It was almost sickly sweet. Who was the only female in that meeting today?"

Julian closed his eyes with a wince. "Sabine, the new Toreador Primogen," he said, his face hardening.

Yes," Buffy cried, her eyes alit with excitement. Everything made sense now. "Oh shit," she muttered. She closed her eyes; she suddenly saw the holes in the situation. "I'm sorry Julian," she said, her brows furrowed. "Lillie's daughter. What are you going to do?"

"I don't know at this moment," Julian said, his voice edged with tension. "I had asked Cash to watch her. He hasn't checked in as of yet."

"I want to know when he does," Buffy insisted.

"Why?" asked Julian smoothly. "It's Kindred business, I will deal with it."

"Kindred!" she scoffed. "Stop using that as an excuse," she snapped. "There is only one thing we have to bring to the table, and that is justice. This Toreador made a mistake when she brought me into it," Buffy said as she walked towards the door.

"How do you figure that?" Julian asked dumbfounded, as he watched her walk through the door.

"Ms. Catherine Dunmore," Buffy said, and the door closed gently behind her.

_**Tuesday 10: 00 p.m.**_

When Burke left the office, it was after 10: 00 p.m. on Tuesday. Since it was a beautiful night, he decided to walk home. Normally, he would not have attempted the walk, but when he left the office, he found that a rear tire on his car was flat, and the spare wasn't full up from his flat a couple of weeks ago.

After the other night, he had made it a practice to keep an eye on his coworkers. The more info he had, the better it would be. At first, he had tried to get information about Buffy Summers from his parents, but they were close-mouthed. What they had told him was, _'If Ms. Summers wanted you to know about her, she would tell you.'_ But Burke couldn't take no for an answer. He loved puzzles, and there was not a puzzle he hasn't solved yet. He was elated. What he had just witnessed earlier with his parents was great. He still hadn't found any info on Buffy, but now he knew what was going on with A.D.A.P., although he had been kicking himself for not sensing that something was wrong. Especially since, he had been practicing magic since age sixteen. But after witnessing Connor's unbelief of magic, he now understood Buffy's and his parent's caution.

As he walked confidently down the street, his mind wasn't on the fact that he fit the profile of all the men that had been killed so far. They were young men, aged eighteen to twenty-four, and they were what you would term beauty challenged, but most of all, the men were loners more interested in mental pursuits than physical ones. And because his mind wasn't on the deaths, he never noticed when a shadow walked up behind him. Before he could utter a spell of protection, darkness descended.

Julian sighed as he watched the door close behind Buffy. He looked longingly at his desk. He had so much work to do. Earlier in the day after that scene with Buffy, he couldn't concentrate because his mind wasn't on the job. Although some things were resolved, there were plenty of other things they needed to talk about. She was right in the aspect that they needed to communicate more. After a lifetime of being secretive, it was hard opening up to someone. To be vulnerable. Some people may say, '_it has been five hundred years since they had met.'_ But what's five hundred, when you're immortal. And being immortal doesn't preclude someone from having doubts and issues. Even though, they are in each other's mind, they know when and how to put up barriers. The idea of completely opening himself up to another person scared him because it changes you. He had to ask himself this question: '_Did he want to change?'_

He walked over to his desk and dropped heavily onto the chair. He picked up a pen and absently twirled it in his fingers as the door to the office opened and Drusilla bound in.

"Where's Mommy going?" she asked.

"She's going to catch a killer," Julian said absentmindedly.

"Killer will get her," she said, twirling around the room.

"What do you mean?" he asked startled, leaping up from the desk and rounding the table. In a lightening-fast move, he grabbed her tightly.

"Daddy!" Drusilla squealed in fright, eying him incredulously.

"Tell me now," Julian demanded as he shook her.

"Uncle Julian!" Sasha yelled, rushing to grabbed Julian's arm. Sasha was a beautiful woman with shoulder length curly red hair and a heart-shaped face with a wide mouth and slanted emerald green eyes. "Let her go," she demanded, mutinously, pushing him away from Drusilla. "What's going on here," she asked, eying both of them in concern.

"She said something's going to happen to Lissa," Julian snapped, his eyes crazed. "I need to know what," he said shoving Sasha aside.

"Well you know you cannot handle her like that," she said with a scowl. "You have more finesse than that."

"I cannot wait that long," he said defensively.

"Well you have to," she snapped. She turned towards Drusilla who was massaging her sore throat. "Dru," she said with a forced smile. "Drusilla can you tell me what is going to happen to Lissa."

"Cold, darkness, pain," she said moaned, swaying back and forth.

"What does that mean?" Julian demanded in exasperation. _What a time for her to become crazy_, he snorted derisively.

"I don't know," Sasha said with a frown. "Dru what does that mean?"

"Cold, darkness, pain," she repeated.

"Yes," she said impatiently. "What does it mean?" Sasha asked, resisting the urge to shake her.

Julian shook his head. "We cannot get anything sensible out of her, right now," he insisted, eying her with a grimace. "I will try to contact Lissa myself," Julian said dismissing them.

"Cold, darkness, pain," Drusilla continued to repeat as Sasha guided her through the door.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: All characters from BTVS belong to Joss Whedon and the world of Kindred the Embrace belongs to FOX, Spelling Television Inc, White Wolf or the copyright individual...**

**Chapter 12: ****Nightmare**

_**Tuesday: 11:00 p.m. **_

Burke jerked awake, as if from a nightmare, but what he awoke to was worse than any nightmare. It was real. He was gagged and chain to a wall; his head was sore. At the back of his head, an open wound throbbed making him squint in pain. Or maybe his squinting was due to the fact he had lost his glasses, rather than the wound on his head. His hands and feet felt numb and his mouth felt dry from the gag. He turned his head cautiously and looked around what he saw caused him to scream. The screams came out more like whimper, because the cloth tied around his mouth muffled his screams. He closed his eyes, but the image he had seen was imprinted on his brain. It was like a scene out of Dante's Inferno. Men, woman, and all weird looking creatures were writhing around the dirt floor, in an orgy of lust, feeding from each other with blood and gore matting their face. In one corner of the room, bodies were stack high in plies to rot, while dogs, big as horses gnawed on them. Burke tried to close his eyes tighter to block out the images, but no matter how much he tried the images stayed with him. In the meanwhile, he could hear the sound of someone's lifeblood being sucked out and sicken crunch of their flesh being torn apart by the dog's huge teeth.

He shook his head, moaning and tried to curl himself into a ball. His chain wouldn't stretch that far.

Hearing a noise, a vampire separated himself from his snack and walked over to Burke. "Hey," he called over his shoulder. "Our supper is awake."

Hearing that, Burke cringed. He started muttering incantation behind his gag, hoping against all hope that it would work.

The vampire walked up to him and ripped Burke shirt open, exposing his scrawny chest. "Look at this," he drawls dryly. "Not enough to fill a bird," the vampire said, extending one clawed finger to draw a line down Burke chest leaving a bloody trail. He put the bloody figure in his mouth, and sucked on it. "But his blood is rich," he said.

Burke whimpered, reciting more incantation's quickly beneath his gag, but the incantations needed to be uttered aloud before they could work.

"Are you trying to tell me something," the vampire asked, cocking his head in amusement.

Burke's eyes widened in alarm, and he frantically shook his head.

"I guess not," the vampire drawled.

The scent of fresh blood in the air drew the others towards the bound man. Some sauntered, some crawled and some undulated in a sensuous walk. They circled the hapless man in a rather synchronized dance, each vying for the first to taste him.

Burke watched with numbed horror, his fear scenting the room like a fragrant flower. The vampires reveled in it, drunk with blood lust. Burke heart started to pound and his chest felt as if it would burst any minute as a sickening wave of terror welled up in his stomach. He tried to scream, but the cloth binding his mouth muffled each sound. At that moment, he knew he was going to die and without a thought, he release his bladder.

"_Assez_! Enough," a voice said with authority. Slowly the vampires parted to show a beautiful woman walking out of the shadows. She didn't as much walked as glide. "Did I say that you may taste him?" she demanded, slapping the offensive vampire with Burke's blood on his lips.

"No mistress," he said, cowering.

Eyes narrowed in warning she shouted. "Hear this, this one is mine! No one touch him but me."

There were hisses and growls.

She gave them a look that stopped them in their tracks.

Shamefaced, the group slunk back to their corners to continue their orgy of pleasure.

"Cut him down," the woman ordered. "I want to see him in my chamber in the next five minutes." And with a dramatic twist, she swirled her cloak and moved to the rear of the room, knowing that her orders would be obeyed.

The vampires acknowledged the woman with a regal bow. One of them quickly grabbed Burke, unchaining him while making sure that he was secure, and then dragged him to a smaller room. A bedroom. The vampire pushed him forward, and he stumbled on his weaken knees over the threshold. He gritted his teeth and clamp his eyes shut against the pain of his bruised body.

"_Non, non_," said a throaty voice. _"S'il vous plaît ouvrir vos yeux." "_Please open your eyes," she said this time in English, while caressing his face.

Burke's eyes flew open, shuddering under her amused gaze. He received an intense stare from her bright and curious eyes and he quickly looked away. She gave a tingling laugh that shivered down his spine. She grabbed him by his arms and held him up. "Don't be afraid," she said. "I won't bite, at least not yet."

He swallowed dryly and peered around the room. Someone had painted the room with subtle shades of yellow and cream. There weren't any window in the room, and the only light came from white candles strategically place on all available surfaces. In the middle of the almost empty room was a huge four-poster bed, and Burke knew what was in store for him wouldn't be a picnic. Part of him wished to be torn apart quickly, rather than being eating, inch-by-inch.

This was the end of his life, he thought. When he had thought of the end, he hadn't foreseen this. He has many regrets that he could be barely count them. One of those that were he never had a chance to say good-bye to his parents. Here he was cowering like a little child. He was no coward. If he was going die, at least he should have some dignity. He was going to make both himself and his parents proud. Suddenly he was no long afraid, and all the pain and emotion he was feeling was put into a hate-filled glare.

One hour later, the body of Burke Levy stared lifeless at the ceiling, his body a broken and bruised mess, as he lay in a tattered heap with blood seeping sluggishly from various wounds.

"He was a great present," Sabine said, licking her fingers. "_Son sang etait riche_ _et doux._ Mmm, she murmured, luxuriating on the taste and the scent of blood. Everything is going according to plan."

"Mistress?" Peter called, nervously shifting at the door. He swallowed the little ball of apprehension that had lodged itself at the back of his throat. He did consider not saying anything, but that could be much worse for him in the end.

"What is it?" she snapped, turning towards him.

"The cop seems to be missing," he replied in a small-frightened voice.

"What do you mean he's missing?" she asked savagely, fixing him with a venomous stare.

"I tried to contact both him and the woman," Peter babbled. "And they weren't answering the phone."

"Argh!" she screams in inarticulate rage. "Do I always have tell you what do!" she raged, her hand fisted in her hair. I don't want anymore excuses," she growled. "_Trouve-les! _Find them!"

"Yes-yes mistress," he said struggling to control his quavering, slowly backed out the door.

"_Attends_!" she ordered. "Have you checked their homes or that pitiful excuse for a headquarters?"

"Yes I did my lady," he said nodding. "They were nowhere to be found."

"_Merde_!" Sabine snarled. "I will find them!" she snapped. With a deep breath, she closed her eyes and muttered a few incantations under her breath. Soon her brows furrowed in puzzlement, she was being blocked. She took another deep breath, centering herself and uttered a searching spell, but she had to give up after a few minutes because of the lack of results. "She got them," she said her face hardening.

Who?" asked Peter, with a sinking feeling. "Oh no," he moaned. Don't let it be so, he thought closing his eyes in despair.

"Julian Luna's bitch!" she said stalking out of the room. Her rage was so terrible that the building started to shake. She screamed and it echoed throughout the room. A gust of wind built slowly to almost hurricane size winds.

"My lady! Please stop!" shouted Peter.

"I want her now!" Sabine continued to scream, her eyes a stormy gray, her hair flowing behind her like a banner. "I want her on her knees begging me to live," she raged thru gritted teeth. "I want her destroyed! As suddenly as the winds had begun, they calmed, and Sabine took a breath. "Get me the other human woman and the werewolf," she demanded. "If she took my mortals, then I can take hers."

"The werewolf? Are you sure?" Peter said tentatively.

"Are you questioning my orders?" Sabine asked coldly.

"No, no," said Peter backing away from her in alarm. "We'll get both the Were and the human."

"And Julian's whore," she said. "Peter," she called her back stiff and unyielding. "Don't fail me again."

"Yes mistress," he said swallowing dryly. He walked backwards through the door with a low bow.

_**Tuesday-Wednesday: 12:30 a.m.**_

Buffy checked all possible place that Sabine was reported to be. She even checked obscure places. Earlier she had received a call from Julian saying that Cash had lost Sabine. How could he lose her? She wondered. San Francisco wasn't that big a city. She would have understood if it was Los Angeles or New York. But right now she was frustrated and she was taking it out on everyone in her vicinity. That's why Victor chose to follow up on other leads.

She still have found any physical evidence linking Sabine to the crimes and she didn't want to start a war with the Toreadors, because Sabine's perfume smelled like evil. She could imagine telling the council that. She smelled like evil, that's why I had her killed. She didn't want another Toreador death on her hand. But in her gut, she knows that Sabine was the one that did it.

Although it was Julian that had called a blood hunt upon Lillie, people thought that if Buffy wasn't in the picture, then Lillie wouldn't do what she did. Buffy tried to explain that it was about free will. No one made Lillie do the things she did, But Buffy's arguments were always ignored. Lillie had a choice and she chose to do what she did. Since then, Buffy was always on pin and needles regarding the Toreadors. She needed to be sure and have evidence linking Sabine not just one murder, but all.

_**Wednesday: 1:00 a.m.**_

Buffy was on her way home after getting Connor, Dudley and Jocelyn settled, when her cell phone rang. It was John Levy.

In a few terse sentences, he told Buffy that Burke hadn't come home. Concerned he had gone back to A.D.A.P. and found Burke car empty in the parking a lot. He had also gone inside the building using Burke spare key, but there was no sign of Burke.

Buffy frowned, worrying her lips between her teeth. "I am on my way," she said, slowly hanging up the phone.

"What is it?" Victor asked, noting her frown.

"It's Burke. He's missing," she said gazing through the windshield.

"What do you want to do?" he asked giving her a sidelong glance.

"We are going find him," she said.

Victor had a quick and disturbing thought. "Do you think the killer has him?"

Buffy opened her mouth to deny it, then her mind made the connection between Burke and the dead young men. "Damn," she muttered. "He fit the profile."

"Shit!" said Victor turning the car around. "Where are we going? The Levy's or A.D.A.P.?"

"A.D.A.P. first, then the Levy's," Buffy said quietly. "I should have warned him," she said.

"Maybe he's just late getting home," said Victor. Just thinking about Burke sends a wave of apprehension through him. Burke's not dead. Burke's not dead, was the mantra he repeated to himself. "Maybe he met a girl."

"Maybe," Buffy said doubtfully. "Oh my God, it's all my fault," she said, her voice cracking.

"Why do you think it's your fault?" Victor asked startled.

"Because I brought him into A.D.A.P.," she said her face twisted in anguish.

"It wasn't your fault," he said gruffly.

"But."

"No buts!" he said sharply. "It could easily be my fault."

"How?" she said startled.

"I could have warned him too," said Victor in a wooden voice. "But I didn't know that the killer was going after him. Therefore, it's much as my fault as it's yours. It wasn't anyone fault," he said. "It's no one's fault except the sick bastard that grabbed him."

She nodded her heart aching, she said. "I change my mind, drop me at the Levy's and you go to the office. If we split up, then maybe we'll find some clues as to where they've taken Burke."

Twenty minutes later Buffy stood outside the Levy's door. Suddenly sheer black fright swept through Buffy making her hesitate. She frowned, as her pulse began to beat erratically. _What's going on_, she thought. Is there danger inside or outside? Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Victor was waiting on her to enter the house before driving away.

"Is everything alright?" he asked, his hand tightly grasping the car's steering.

Buffy breathed in shallow, quick gasps and shook her head. "I don't know," she said frowning.

"Do you want me to stay," he asked, noting her frown. "We could both check this place out, then go to A.D.A.P."

Buffy hesitates, shaking her head. "No, you go ahead," she said, turning towards the door.

"Are you sure," he asked.

"I'm sure," she said, but her hand tightens surreptitiously on the door handle. "Victor," she called.

"Yeah," he said, watching her carefully.

"Take care of yourself."

"You too," he said and drove away.

She watched him drove away, then turned back to the house half in anticipation and half in dread.

After spending a half hour "_looking_" around, Buffy walked down the step of the brown house. She hadn't found any clues to Burke's whereabouts. All she had picked up were random thoughts and images, which were interesting but had no bearing on his disappearance. She scowled after looking at her watch. She had called Victor ten minutes ago and he had told her that he was on his way. It was times like this, she missed having a chauffer, but she couldn't see her self being chauffeured to a crime scene. Although what a spectacular scene that would make, she thought, her eyes crinkling in amusement.

In mid contemplation, her cell phone rang. Thinking it was Victor; she answered the phone with a causal "yeah." She was surprised at the voice on the other end. It was Cash. He told her, he knew where Sabine was hiding out, and asked if Buffy could reach there in ten minutes. There was a slight catch in Cash's voice, but Buffy chose to ignore it.

After waiting a few more minutes for Victor, Buffy started walking to Sabine's hideout. She made an excuse to herself, saying Victor could easily meet her there, after she check out the layout.

It took seventeen minutes to reach the building, but Cash wasn't around. Buffy took a few steps, and a noise echoed in the alley. Instinctively her hand went towards the stake that she still in the habit of carrying. She was relieved when a rat scurried onto the road. "I must be tenser than I thought," she said with a laugh. Another sound echoed behind her and she turned… but it was too late. Everything went blank, as her phone rang and rang….

In the shadows, bright eyes alight with madness watched, as Buffy Summers was quickly subdued.

* * *

I hate to beg, but I must if I had to. PLEASE REVIEW!


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13:** **Double Jeopardy**

At the mansion, Julian paced back on forth on the carpet floor, ignoring Daedalus who sat on the sofa opposite him.

"What is wrong?" Daedalus asked. Daedalus was the Primogen of the Nosferatu. He had a misshapen baldhead with ridge forehead, green reptilian eyes, fangs instead of teeth and retractable claws as his fingers. He was dress casually in a blank mandarin jacket with silver thread inlay on the collar and matching pants. He was also Julian's best friend.

"Drusilla gave me a cryptic message earlier and that's wasn't the half of it. I cannot reach Lissa.

"Lissa?" Daedalus question, his forehead furrowed. "Is something wrong with her."

"I don't know," Julian said with a frown. "Did you hear that," he asked, shivering. He cocked his head to the side; listening to a sound, only he could hear.

"No," Daedalus said with concern. As Kindred, his hearing was superb; he could hear a pin dropped two rooms away. But he didn't heard what Julian was hearing. What is it my Prince?" Daedalus asked, walking over to the other man.

Julian stopped suddenly, holding his head as if in pain "No," he moaned staggered slightly against a wall.

"Where are you hurt?" Daedalus demand, grabbing Julian's arm.

"It's gone," he moaned.

"What?"

Julian looked at Daedalus with red-rimmed eyes. "Since Lissa has been in my life, there was always a constant buzz in my head also a static. It's now gone."

"That could mean only one thing."

"Lissa," he said bleakly.

"Have you tried contacting her?"

"I been trying since I felt this way," he said.

"Where Victor?" Daedalus questioned. "They always together," he said walking over to the telephone. He punched a few numbers, but the he couldn't connect with anyone.

Julian sighed and sat down with his head rested in his hands.

Daedalus frown. "Where Cash?" he demand, taking note of Julian paleness. Only a few people knew that Buffy and Julian was bonded. Because of the bond, if they were grievously wounded, they might die

"I sent Cash on a errand," Julian said breathing harshly.

"What errand?" Daedalus asked frantically. "He needed to be with you. He's your bodyguard," he said sharply. "I don't trust anyone else with you. I will go out to look for Lissa," he said turning towards the door.

"My friend," Julian said speaking in ragged bursts. "Lissa is alive, I can feel her."

"Where is she?" Daedalus asked eagerly. He couldn't stand to see Julian like this. "I will contact some of my people to go for her."

"I don't know," he said coughing. "I can sense her. It's like she is a veil or a cocoon."

"Not even with the blood bond," Daedalus asked aghast.

Julian shook his head in despair. He was in pain; it was if his soul was gone.

"What is going on here?" Daedalus asked exasperated. "I cannot get anyone on their cell phone not even Cash. What sort of errand he was running for you?" he questioned, strolling back towards Julian who was lying on a black leather couch.

"I told him to follow Sabine," Julian said, his voice low.

"Lillie's daughter," Daedalus asked with a frown. "Why?"

"If that who she really is," Julian said with a shrug.

"I believed so," Daedalus said with frown. "She has Lillie blood. I can smell her blood in Sabine. That is why I really do believe she's Lillie's Daughter."

"If she is truly Lillie's daughter, where has she been all these years? I would have welcomed her as my kin daughter of that one that was lost to me. I had loved Lillie once. Even on the moment of her death. But betrayal is hard to forgive."

"I know," Daedalus said on a sigh. "I was disappointed with the choice Lillie had made. But what I could I do," he said shrugging.

"Nothing my friend," said Julian. "Nothing. As you said it was Lillie choice. It was her choice to offer up my city to terrorists. But if Sabine is truly Lillie's daughter, we have a major complication."

"Why?" asked Daedalus with a frown.

"I had asked Cash to follow Sabine, but he lost her."

"The Gangrel lost someone," Daedalus said incredulously. "They rival the Nosferatu in tenacity."

"That's true," Julian admits worriedly. Cash never lost anyone he had tracked before. That's what made Cash such a valuable asset. His doggedness. Julian eyed his long time friend, and made up his mind to confide in him. "After the situation at the Haven. Lissa and I had come to some sort of resolution. She had reminded me that she had scent a strange perfume in the conference room of the Haven. You know the Slayer has a keen scent of smell."

Daedalus nods.

"At the time when she had mention the perfume, I had accused her of jealously."

Daedalus grinned briefly. "Have you told her, she had nothing to be fearful of?"

"Of course I told her," said Julian impatiently. "But she says she wasn't jealous."

"And you didn't believe her?" Daedalus said.

"She wasn't quite telling me truth, but I let it go," Julian admits, running his hand through his hair. "The scent of the perfume was much worse in her eyes. Lissa recognized the same scent at being at two different crime scenes. Sabine was the only female in the conference room wearing perfume."

Daedalus stared in disbelief.

"Yes my friend," Julian said. "That was my reaction too. If indeed it is so, I won't be a friend of the Toreadors after killing two Primogen. But, if she's guilty of killing mortals, then she needed to be executed for breaking our masquerade." Julian sighed. "I remembered a time when every one lived to uphold the laws, and no one dares to break the masquerade in fear of true death. Now, lot more people knows we exists, and because of that we Kindred are grow indolent. Lissa wanted the laws to be changed, but the laws don't need to be changed. It needed to be amended."

"Are you sure about that Julian?" Daedalus said doubtfully.

"I'm sure," Julian said firmly.

"You are not going to get all the heads to agree with this," Daedalus warned.

"I have a strategy," said Julian. "If we can get New York, Illinois, Dallas and Nevada, to see reason, we'll be all set. The rest will follow."

"Yes they will," Daedalus acknowledged. "But every state must agree," he said with a frown.

"It's not going to be a problem," he said with a shrug.

"Julian," Daedalus caution. "Don't let arrogance be your downfall."

"It's not arrogance," Julian admits. "It's surety," he said

In the midst of their conversation, the telephone rang.

Julian exchanged glances with Daedalus.

He walked cautiously towards the telephone. Did he want to answer the phone, he thought putting the phone to his ears. He didn't recognized the voice on the other end but he paled as he continued to listen.

"Julian?" Daedalus called out in concern, watching the borrowed blood bleached out of the other man.

Julian held up a hand to silence him. He slowly hanged up the phone.

"My Prince, what is it?" Daedalus asked, walking over to put a hand on Julian shoulder in sympathy.

"Sabine have Lissa," he whispers hoarsely.

"Are you sure?" he asked, looking into Julian's ravage face. "I guess you are sure."

Victor opened his swollen eye. He blinked, trying to orient himself. Blood dripped steadily from the wound on his forehead. He tried to raise one of his to arms to wipe it from his forehead, but he found both of them shackled to a silver chain on the wall. To a werewolf silver was poisonous. And he could feel it burning steadily in an open wound, especially since he was nude. His assailant had given his body a work over. There were places were the skin was raw and ragged. His face contorted in agony as pain racked his body, as he tried to breathe through his mouth and thru a broken nose. He tried to take stock of his injuries. His fingers and ribs were broken, both his arms were dislocated, and it was painful hanging he way he was. And he probably has some internal bleeding. Normally shifting into a werewolf would speed up the healing but the silver chains that bind him continued to leak poisons into his wounds. Suddenly the air around him changed and he strained to separate the sound. A floorboard creaked and the shadows on the wall facing him shifted. He looked cautiously around, his heart beating a mile a minute. The last thing he had remembered was he was looking for evidence of Burke abduction, when six vampires attacked him.

At that time, he had given as well as he had received, but still the vampires had over powered him. A moan of pain escaped from his lips. He sensed that he was alone in a large room, although his keen nose had detected that recently a lot of people had recently vacated the room. Oh no, he thought sniffing. Is that a dead body? He tried to separate the scents. Decaying bodies and fish. Fish, he thought. It could only mean one thing. He was near the docks.

The floorboard creaking caught his attention. Someone was coming! He quickly shut his eyes, and regulatedhis breathing to slow.

Two men entered the room, carrying a large package wrapped tightly with a gray and frayed blanket. They had thrown the bundled on the cold concrete floor, and the blanket open to show a bruised and battered Buffy.

Ummph, Buffy thought as her body slowly came to a hauntingly roll. She could feel the aches and pain as her battered fell on the concrete floor. She slowly opened her eyes gazing disoriented around the room. She couldn't believe she had walked into a trap. She could literally kick herself, but she can't. Since she found herself lying on the floor, she had been trying to move. For the first time in years, Buffy found her self in unattainable position. She was a Slayer damn it. She shouldn't had gotten in such a situation. Arrogance and ennui was her downfall. Here she was in a lot pain and she has no idea where she was. She tried concentrating to contact Julian psychically, but the connection wasn't there. It was like trying to make a phone call and getting a busy signal. She was blind psychically. Buffy felt frustrated she could also feel her throat closing up and there was heaviness in her stomach.

She couldn't move her body. Oh dear God, she thought. I'm paralyzed. They must had giving me something. Curare, she thought, remembering the rare drug that was fed to Catherine. No, she moaned. She now remembered feeling hands touching her in places only Julian had the right to. And when they weren't fondling her they were hurting her by kicking, pinching, biting, even slicing her and watching her bleed. She couldn't see them, but she could smell them and she marked their scent in her nostril. She felt the pain, but couldn't do anything about. She shuddered inwardly, her mind going back to Catherine Dunmore and what they had done to her and what they probably going to do the same with her. She could feel the small hairs on the back of her neck stir. She was not going out like Catherine, she won't let them.

The men had left the room after disposing of their burden and Victor slowly opened one swollen eyelid and cautiously looked around. His keen hearing, heard that something was left behind and he wondered what it was. He scented the air, but the overwhelming scent of fish musk and decaying bodies masked the scent. It was a person and he barely hear it's heart beating. He saw the package amidst stale water and debris littering the floor, and his eyes widen in surprise, causing him to blink in pain. "Buffy? Buffy!" he called thru clench teeth, his pulse roars in his ears.

Buffy was surprised to hear Victor's voice. While pondering her own problem, she thought she was alone. She tried to turn toward the voice, but the effects of the drug were too strong.

"Buffy can you hear me?" Victor called, his voice strained. "I need your help." And for the next fifteen minutes he periodical called her until he was hoarse.

Trapped into her paralyzed body, Buffy couldn't respond.

Victor hanged his head down in despair. Finally, in one last act of desperation, he called to her. "Please Buffy if you can hear me. They wrapped me with silver chains, I need to shift to heal my self," he said on a moan.

Tears fall from Buffy eyes, to drip next to her on the floor. Her Slayer metabolism was acting fast, breaking down the curare in her system, but she knows it's wasn't fast enough. Normally the drug would have left her body already, but the vampires fearing her strength had tripled the dose. But in a couple more hours it would be gone altogether. It was fifteen more minutes before she could move her head and she slowly turn it towards Victor. With a fierce concentration, Buffy used her telekinesis to unwrap the chains from around Victor's waist.

He was in so much pain he barely took note, when the chains around him fell to the ground. "Buffy?" he said shakily, hope and relief in his voice.

After she had un-wrapped the chains around Victor's ankles and wrists, she was drained. She laid her head heavily back on the ground, her face dark with pain and sweat.

"Thank you, thank you," Victor moaned, falling to the ground. He crawled on all fours over to Buffy prone body. "Where are you hurt?" he demands, rubbing his broken digit over her body. "Shit," he said wincing. "For minute there I forget that they broke my fingers." With his fingers aching, he dragged Buffy head to rest in his lap. "Buffy? Why won't you answer me?" he demanded.

"She can't," said voice at the entryway. "And I see that you managed to free yourself."

"Who are you?" he demanded, giving her a long searching look. Vampire, he noted smelling her scent.

Sabine strolled into the room. "My" she said, ignoring his comment. "If I knew you were that well built, I would have given you a go," she said eying his nude state.

An unwelcome blush crept into Victor face as he cradled Buffy's body strategically in front of him.

Buffy turned her head slowly to watch the woman, walking haughtily into the room. She was Buffy size. Anyone that arrogant, thought Buffy must be self-assured or a vampire. She ignored Buffy lying on the floor and her own personal bodyguard that scurried behind her to circle a blushing Victor. Here she was, Buffy thought trying not to think about the situation, she was in. It's not everyday that she find her self being cradle by a naked man, that's not her husband. Plus she does want to think about where her head was being cradled. It's on something hard, and she hoped it's Victor's stomach or thigh. It had better be for both their sake.

Buffy continued to eying the woman surreptitiously, who was leaking massive power, this can mean one thing. This is Lillie's daughter, Sabine Petit-Raine. Julian was right, she doesn't look like Lillie. Throughout her contemplation the muscles in her legs and hands began to spasms, which means the drug had finally run it's course throughout her body. She gritted her teeth on a painful spasms and it took a small effort for her not to move. If this was indeed Lillie's daughter, then she was killer. She didn't fits the description of the woman that was seen on campus with Mr. Dean. That was probably Drusilla. But why killed all those men. For blood. That was no excuse. Although Kindred were in the masquerade, there were a few mortals out there that know that they exist and willing share blood with them.

What Sabine did was cruel. What does she want from me? Buffy wondered. She wanted to jump up and confront Sabine and maybe beat her to a bloody pulp. But Buffy needed to know what her agenda is. What is her purpose? Why kidnapped both her and Victor? And what happen to Burke? Victor's a cop, he need to keep her talking. All bad guys have this need to confess or boast of their intellect. Buffy was depending on Victor, to hold out as long as he could. She could smell blood, thick in her nostrils, and being close as they were, she could feel his pain, and his instinct to shift. And she wished she could give Victor a small signal telling him to hold out a little bit longer.

"Who are you?" Victor demanded again, watching the woman warily. He could feel the power radiating off her and he could feel his beast. It wasn't the full moon, he shouldn't be feeling this way. They probably gave him something, like they did with Buffy. He wanted to scream. Instead, a growl echoed out his mouth. "What do you want with us?" he said in a gravel voice tight with pain.

"Us?" the woman said giggling. "You are bait. I don't want you," she said motioned to a couple of men towards him.

"Don't come near me," Victor warned, dragging both himself and Buffy backward. He winced. Although some of his wound had healed during the few minutes since Buffy freed him, he was still in a lot of pain.

"What are going to do?" she demand, eying him with a dubious expression.

Victor fixed a level stare onto Sabine and crawled backward, still dragging Buffy.

Buffy moaned.

"Where do you think you are going?" Sabine said her eyes light with amusement.

Victor slowly put Buffy head on the floor and with a low growl he stood up, his forehead furrowed and his eyes red. Another growl sounded as his teeth elongated and his face lengthens. His bones beneath his skin start rippling and his skin twisted, contorted making away for another shape. And his skin ripped apart in a gush of blood and gore leaving behind a large black wolf trailing viscous fluid on the floor. The wolf howled and eyed Sabine as it slowly stalked her.

"_En bas le chiot!"_ said Sabine, backing away slowly.

Screams and shouts echoed in the room as vampires scrambled out the way of the stalking wolf.

Grimacing in pain, Buffy wanted to scream, but she needed the element of surprise. "Damn," she muttered. In the confusion, Buffy with the poisons out of her system raised herself slowly from the floor and stealthily walked up to Sabine, who was watching Victor with a watchful fixity on her face. "She's mine!" Buffy yelled, putting herself between the werewolf and the vampire.

"_Mon Dieu_!" Sabine cried, looking at the revive Buffy in shock and disbelief. "How?"

Buffy twist her body to look at both Victor and Sabine. "I am a Slayer," she said simply.

"A what?" Sabine said eyeing Buffy askance

Suddenly several more men crashed into the room. Victor seeing more target charged them. Screams of pain and rage echoed throughout the room as Victor charge the crowd. The wolf tore into bodies scattering blood and flesh throughout the room.

What's going on? Sabine thought ignoring the sound of pain. The bitch should be dead. She wanted her to be dead.

"A Slayer," Buffy said with a smirk. "All this time, you had been messing around both with my head and my co-workers and you really don't know who I am or what I am capable of. Being French and all haven't you heard of the adage know thy enemy?"

Sensing, rather than seeing Buffy's amusement Sabine lips thinned with irritation. "Well, well, well," she said mockingly. "Look, who's had been playing beaver."

"Speak American," Buffy said flatly, hitting Sabine with a right hook across her face. "It's possum." Looking back, Buffy could see when everything had change between her and her team. At the time, she didn't question it. she should have asked more question, but she wasn't clairvoyant, but a telepath, a touch telepath. But this person had made a mockery of her gifts. She's strong. To be able to influence normal humans, but humans with psychic ability it was rare, but rarer still was the ability to influence Kindred.

Buffy wanted to annihilate her. But the thing she had said to Sabine holds true to her. '_Know thy enemy_." She watched her carefully as Sabine staggered backwards.

"She's the bad guy," Victor asked with an incredulous air, as he walked to stand beside Buffy. He was wearing tattered and bloodstain clothing from his victims. He could only gape at the barely five feet nothing woman. He eyed her in disbelief. She could be Buffy's twin, sort of. They were both opposites and the same. Buffy was the sun and Sabine the moon. Buffy had a darker blond hair while Sabine's was a pale silvery blond. She looked almost ethereal.

Buffy rolled her eyes. Why is that people always underestimating a woman because of her size? "Why else would she be here?"

"But-but, look at her," he stammered, making a slight gesture with his hand. "She's a doll."

"Yeah, a doll with sharp fangs and teeth," Buffy said eyes narrowed on the woman.

Sabine shook her head, licking blood slowly from a cut at the corner of her lip. "Yum," she moaned, her eyes turning gray as power crackled in the room and electricity arch in the room hitting metal and steel in the warehouse.

Sabine turned towards Buffy, levitating, hair flaring out behind her.

"Victor," Buffy said, backing away slowly. "Run!"

"What?" Victor said, his body suddenly rigid and unyielding and his feet felt as if in was encase in cement. He turned awkwardly to look at Sabine as she continued to float towards him.

"Don't look her into her eyes!" Buffy shouted. But she was too late, Sabine had capture Victor with her eyes. He stood stiffly, as if he was made out of stone.

"Let him go!" Buffy screamed, rushing towards the other woman.

"Why?" she growl, her eyes dark and stormy like a turbulent sea. "Do you care about him?" Sabine ask in a silkily voice.

Buffy stopped in headlong rush. She eyed the woman, giving her wide berth. She opened her mouth to respond but quickly shut it with a snap.

"_Non- non,_ don't lie," she admonished. "I can read your every thoughts," she admonished.

"Who are you?" demanded Buffy. "A freak?" she asked her voice heavy with sarcasm. "What do you want from me?"

"_Aberration_?" Sabine cried in disbelief looking Buffy up and down as if she smelled something rotten. "Nature created me. What are you? You are the anomaly. You are not human, not Kindred. You are the _aberration!"_

It wounded Buffy. To be called a freak hurts, that's why she flung that insult at Sabine. Even Julian, although he never said, even he couldn't quite grasp what Buffy had become.

Sensing a hit of weakness, Sabine continued using her voice to persuade, to control, to entice. "Soon your _amoureux et amis_ will be afraid of you."

Feeling the push, Buffy throw away the doubts that crowded her mind. She drew upon an inner reserved of strength. "I am not a puppet, for you to pull my string. What do you want?"

"Want?" Sabine cried with disbelief. "I want you to die."

"Positive much!" said Buffy taken aback. "I just met you, wait until you know me before you try to kill me. At least that most people do."

"I don't want to know you," Sabine retorted, her beautiful face twisted in a snarl. "I want you to die."

"Okay," Buffy said placating. "You don't have to be a repeat-o girl. You want me dead, yeah. But why?" she asked watching the other woman with a puzzled frown. "I never do anything to you? I just met you."

"You ruin my life!" she shrieks. Sabine eyed Buffy with a hint of madness in her eyes. All the rage and bile spelled out. When Julian Luna had met Lissa, Lillie had called her. Crying. Sabine never understood how her beautiful mother could be stuck over one man. Julian Luna was not all that. At the time, she had made promises to meet Lillie, but when she had gotten into town, she found out that she was dead and all because of Lissa Luna.

That day, something inside of her snap and she vowed revenge. It took years of carefully planning before she able to see everything come to fruition. Over the years, she watched trying to find Lissa's weakness. It was her family, she knew with all the guards surrounding the family, she won't get a chance through them. So she found the next best thing. Her job. That was a lucky happenstance. While watching, she had come upon Lissa Luna changing her appearance to Buffy Summers, and then entering the A.D.A.P. building. Then she had made it her choice to cultivate the members. It was easy. And she knew the only way, she could draw Buffy out was to kill mortals.

"Your life?" Buffy asked incredibly, interrupting her thoughts. "What about the young men you killed."

"Collateral damage," she said with a shrug. "I was hungry."

"Hungry?" Buffy said stunned. "The senseless killing of several young men was because you was hungry. How about Catherine Dunmore?"

"Who?"

"You don't even know who I'm talking about," Buffy said incredulously.

Sabine shrugged. "I killed many," she admits. "What so significant about one woman?" she asked.

Buffy turned to look her with eyes stony with anger. "She maybe insignificant to you, but not to her family," she retorted.

Sabine glance sharpened. "This woman was important to you. Why?" she asked, observing Buffy through lowered lashes.

"Why?" Buffy asked incredulously. She couldn't wrapped her head around the idea that Catherine wasn't important. When a person takes time to torture someone, they had better be important. "You bleed and torture her until everything about was erased. "Tell me she was important," she spat.

"Aah," she said smiling a maliciously smile. "So it was she that got your attention. I've been leaving my calling card all over, it was about time you noticed," she said harshly as she paced up and down in front of Buffy, both of them ignoring Victor who was still frozen to the ground. "I knew that would get your attention."

"My attention?" Buffy cried bitterly. "We have never met. At least when a person is trying to kill me I wanted know why."

"You killed my mother," she said shooting daggers with her eyes. If she had knife or a gun, Buffy would be dead.

"Your mother?" Buffy questioned, not giving a hint that she know that Sabine was Lillie's daughter. Ah, Buffy thought, revenge. She understood the act of revenge. "Who was your mother? I kill so many vampires, what's one more," she said nonchalantly, watching her intently.

"Aargh," Sabine screamed rushing towards Buffy. But Buffy had anticipated that and put her foot out, to cause Sabine to tripped in her headlong rush.

"Who was this paragon, I had supposedly killed," Buffy mocked, looking down at Sabine who was sprawled at her feet.

Sabine turned gray and she snarled through clenched teeth. "Lillie Lantry.

"I didn't have Lillie killed," Buffy said quietly.

"I did," said Julian, walking slowly into the room. Behind him were several hundred Kindred. Ventrue, Gangrel, Nosferatu and Brujah.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: ****Kindred Laws**

* * *

"Luna!" Sabine snarled, pushing herself off the floor. "Do you think you can scare me with your pitifully force?" she mocked, eying them with contempt. "I knew you would try to rescue the bitch," she snarled. She turned abruptly to the rear of the room. She had a contingency plan. "Peter! Peter!" she screamed, her nostril flaring.

In the shadow, Peter separated himself from his companion and rushed across the room. "Yes mistress," he said his voice cracking. He didn't want to be here. When he met Sabine sixty years ago, he didn't know what she had in mind. She had filled him with dreams of power and glory. She talked how they would rule San Francisco together. First San Francisco, then the world. He had grown power mad. Sabine had evened threaten others into not holding the position of Primogen. She wanted that for herself.

His job was to spy upon the prince and his family. But during the years, he had grown to like the man.

"Ah, Peter," drawled Julian mockingly. He was leaning heavily against a wooden wall. He still has recovered his full strength yet.

Daedalus continued to eye him in concern. Only he knew noticed Luna's weakness.

"I so disappointed in you. You had potential," Julian said, swiftly eyeing his wife. _'Are you okay?'_ he asked telepathically.

Buffy nodded. '_I'm fine,' _she said._ 'Julian?' _

Julian exhaled a long sigh of pleasure, then turn to Peter. "What you have to say to yourself," he asked.

With his eyes downcast, Peter clasp and unclasp his hands. "I am sorry my Prince," he said his voice quavering.

"Prince?" Sabine cried indignantly, her lips curling in disgust. "Do you forget your loyalties so soon," she said sharply, her nostrils flaring.

Peter eyes widen. "No-no mistress," he stammered. "I would never do that."

"Get our guests," Sabine snarled with a furious gesture.

He nodded and gave a low bow, rushing from the room, almost tripping over his own feet in his haste.

After Peter had left the room; Julian with his strength now in tact walked over Buffy and brought her into his arms. He breathes in her special scent noting the fading cuts and busies that dotted her skin. "Are you okay," he asked again.

"I'm fine," Buffy said, snuggling close.

"How sweet," Sabine mocked with gritted teeth, eying both Julian and Buffy maliciously.

"What did they do to you?" he asked caressing her face.

"Later," Buffy said stiffening; her eyes had caught something behind Julian.

Julian turned to followed Buffy gaze. What he saw caused him to curse in several languages.

Peter had brought in Cash and Charity. Cash was struggling that the two men that held him down could hardly hold him, while Peter held unconscious Charity.

"Charity!" Paavo cried, but Daedalus unyielding hand restrained him.

A muscle flicked angrily at Julian's jaw.

Paavo growled, and his fangs elongated dripping saliva.

Peter put Charity tenderly on the floor and back away, putting his hands up in a defensive mode.

"Coward!" she snapped. "Ah," Sabine said turning towards her Julian her face lit with bitter triumph. "I see that you like my surprise."

Julian eyes were icy and unresponsive.

"I'm sorry boss," slurred Cash with a groan as his face contorted with pain. "I don't know what happened."

"It's not your fault," said Julian gruffly. It was heart breaking to look at Cash. Half his face was ripped literally apart, both his jaw and teeth was broken and one of his eyes was swollen shut, both his ribs and his right hand seemed to be broken. And what Julian could see through Cash bloodied shirt was several deep cuts as if someone took a sharp instrument and slice him up and when that didn't worked to their satisfaction, dig the wound bigger.

Ignoring them, Sabine walked across the room to caress Charity pale cheek. She lie on the floor limply, blood seeping sluggish from several lacerations. "This little one is barely alive. It seemed that my men like how she tastes inside and out."

Paavo growled his hands fisted at his side. "Keep your filthy hands to yourself," he yelled.

"What are you going to do," she asked dismissing him as coward. "There was anything barely enough for me," she drawled sweetly.

"I am going to kill you," cried Paavo fighting to get out of Daedalus hands, but he just tightens his hands tighter.

"Step in line," Julian growl, his hands claws. "What have done to my man?" he demand, his eyes flat, hard.

"This one," said Sabine derisory, looking at Cash with contempt. "He just didn't want to corporate, so I have to teach him some manners."

"I show you who needed manners," Julian snarled, making threatening steps towards her. Buffy hand tightens convulsively on his arms. He looked down at her and frowned_. 'Caution'_ she said. He rolled his eyes and sighed. "You have me here, so what do you what?"

Sabine shook her head. She eyed him with a frown. Did he think she was fool? "It's so typical of you Ventrue," she mocked. "You cannot leave the house without an entourage.

"This," Julian said expansively, taking in all his men. "This is not entourage, it's family," he said.

She frowned. "Do you think you cannot take me without your men," she ask with scorn, strolling in front of them as to taunt them.

Julian eyed her with contempt. He didn't know why Lissa was staying his hand. "I know I can take you," he said.

"Do you think your pitiful entourage can beat me," she demands, hands on her hips. "I have legions ready to fight my battle," she said with a smirk.

Julian eyed her thoughtfully. "Do you mean the men you had at Luna Enterprises or at the docks? I have being aware that you had being trying to take over my city for the past few weeks. If you had stop at just the Ventrue holdings, maybe we could have forgiving you," he said putting Buffy aside, his eyes had darkened dangerously.

"Julian," Daedalus cautioned, watching the woman intently.

"Julian!" Buffy said sharply. She knew something that Julian didn't know. Sabine was also witch.

"Yes Luna, listen to your whore," she said eying him with an impeccable expression.

"Whore?" Julian snapped with outrage. And without thinking about it, he charged Sabine.

She threw a fireball at him, and knocks him across the room.

"Julian!" Buffy cried as she rushed towards her husband.

Julian shook his head in disbelief as pain raced through his body. "What happen?" he asked with a wince.

"You stupid idiot," cried Buffy, slapping him on the shoulders.

"Ow," he said rubbing the tender spot.

"Why did you do that," she asked.

"Did you hear what she called you?" he said savagely.

"So what," she scoff, rolling her eyes. "I'd heard worse," she admitted.

"Where?" he demanded, his eyes dark with an identifiable emotion.

Buffy continued to roll her eyes. "I love you, you idiot," she said softly, putting her arms around him to lift him up.

"Ahh," said Sabine. "How sweet," she mocked with a cold smile.

Suddenly Buffy stiffened. She saw him out of the corner of her eye. Burke Levy. She blinked trying to focus her gaze. At first, she only saw a pool of blood, then a foot then the whole body. Buffy could feel her throat closing up and a raw primitive grief swelled up from deep inside her. She could smell it now, a mixture of blood, feces and urine. She swallowed hard, trying to bit back tears. Oh dear God Burke, she thought, looking at his mangled body. She could hear her heart pounding out a mocking beat. What she going to tell his parents. Her vision blurred and she closed her eyes, trying to block out the sight, but the stench remained in her nostril. Another soul on her conscious, another person she couldn't save.

Buffy turned slowly towards Sabine, who was watching her with a smirk. "Why?" she asked, her voice strangled.

"Because I can," she said malicious delight.

Buffy moved slowly off the floor, her joints creaked as if she was in pain or as if she had aged suddenly overnight. She keened softly, her arms wrapping around herself. "Burke never did anything to anyone. He was a peace maker," she cried, her eyes full of pain.

"So what," Sabine said with a shrug. "His blood was rich and sweet."

"You had over step your boundaries," Buffy snapped, her eyes glowed an eerily silver. All the anger and pain was in that one sentence. "It was me you had the problem with, not my team," she replied sharply.

Suddenly the air stirred, as if electricity had been charged. Buffy run straight towards Sabine and she dodged then swung her hand. Sabine face contorted with rage. Her fist hit Buffy with an audible sound. Buffy howled and lashed out, she grabbed fistful of hair, hitting Sabine's nose with flat of her hand. Blood gushes everywhere and Sabine screamed spitting out spittle of blood.

With her eyes glowing, Sabine licked her lips slowly tasting the rich and spiciness of the blood. "Mmm," she murmured. "You make me bleed again," she said astonished. "My own blood," she cried lunging at Buffy.

Buffy ducked avoiding a fist, her head snapped back and pain white, hot burned through her tearing a scream from her throat. Sabine slashed at her arm and lashed out hitting her in the face. She hit the ground with a grunt and rolled immediately to her feet.

Buffy shifted from foot to foot, eying Sabine with a lethal calmness in her eyes waiting for an opening. Power arched into the room sending sparks of electricity so that the others had to duck. Buffy started levitating, her hair streaming behind as wind gathered debris throwing it around.

"Run," Julian yelled, as a beam slammed in the wall, where his head was.

Sabine throws a fireball at Buffy, who dodge it and watched it fall harmlessly on the dirt floor.

"Lissa," Julian yelled.

"Not now Julian, I busy," Buffy yelled.

Another fireball shot out to illuminate the room, this time missing Buffy by an inch.

"I want a duel," said Sabine strolling forward.

"A duel?" Buffy questioned breathlessly.

"All I heard how you just this great fight," Sabine mocked walking around Buffy in a circle, power leaking from her. "Fight ha," she said. "You are weakling. I don't know what Luna sees in you. You are nothing!" she screamed, shooting an arch of electricity through Buffy. "That will teach you to mess me and mine," she growled.

Buffy screamed as the electricity snaked through her body. She tumbled to the floor. She held her sides where the fire had scorched her.

"Lissa!" Julian yelled, watching in numbed horror as the fireball hit his wife. He could feel the pain leaking through their link. His first instinct was to rush towards her, but Daedalus held his shoulder.

"I'm busy," she said with gritted teeth.

"Julian," Daedalus said shaking the other man. "It's Lissa fight."

"But…" Julian said eying his wife in concern.

"No buts," Daedalus said sharply. "She has to do this. As the wife of the Prince they should know she could perform the dirty stuff if needed be."

"I'm going kill you," Sabine gloat. "After tonight none would dare questioning my powers," she said hitting Buffy with another arch of lightening. Buffy body bowed and she screamed.

Julian tried to push aside Daedalus, but Daedalus unyielding hand still his movements. "Let me go damn it," he growled, teeth elongated, and his a eyes a gray flame.

"No my prince," he said tightly, his hands straining to hold the other man. "Remember this is not your fight."

"I am going to raze this city down to the ground," Sabine said with a malicious laugh as she watches in triumph. She starts dancing on the balls of her feet, weaving back and forth. "So that no one would believed that we are lackeys to the Ventrue ever again."

"Yes, yes, yes, yes," Toreadors started chanting.

Breathing harshly, Buffy got up slowing. Pain etched in her face and blood ran in rivulets down her face. "Is that all you go," she mocked.

"What is she doing?" asked Cameron in disbelief.

"Killed her already," yelled Paavo. "Kill the bitch!"

"Stop playing," Julian shouted.

"If and when they speak of you," Sabine said "They would say a Toreador killed the mighty Luna' mate. And she throws another fireball straight at Buffy.

Buffy bare her teeth in a semblance of a snarl and took one flying leap, twisting in midair to land cat like on her feet. "Let's rock," she said catching the fireball with her telekinetic powers and held it. It was a power struggle as both woman fought for the upper hand. With a mighty burst of power, Buffy pushed Sabine off and she staggered backwards, trying to catch her breath. Smiling with her lips stretched to a grotesque mask, Buffy was on Sabine with a whirlwind of fists and anger. Throwing a punch, the force of the blow pushed Sabine the across the floor.

"_Baby my strength is yours used it," _said Julian, pouring his power into her.

Power surged through Buffy; blurring her vision and her body contoured, shifting, leaving behind a white wolf with black stripe across one eye. She growled and with a mighty leap charged Sabine. Sabine eyes narrowed, and she too changed. Soon both wolf snarled and growled fighting for dominance.

Sabine howled as Buffy powerful jaw locked unto Sabine's side and bit down, gushing blood. In pain and with a deep wound, Sabine couldn't sustained the image of the wolf and with a whimper she changed back to her human form to lay on the dirt floor panting in pain. Her face contorted in pain, as she tried to staunch the blood that flowed freely from the ragged wound. She lay on the floor gulping air frantically while her blood seeping slowly into the floor. All her plans gone, she thought bitterly, closing her eyes in pain. She thought of her mother dying without seeing her one last time. Julian Luna and her whore deserved to die for what they done to Lillie. As she lay there, her body was slowly re-knitting it self.

Julian walked over and looked down. "You cross the line," he said, eying her with contempt. "You are not above the law. Everyone is accountable. You introduce foreign Kindred into my city; you sire several Kindred without my permission. You cannot do that. In Kindred laws the first tradition of the masquerade is, (_Thou shall not reveal thy true nature to those not of the blood. Doing such shall renounce thy claims of the Blood_.) You broke our number one law by revealing yourself to the members of A.D.A.P. The second tradition is thy domain. (_Thy domain is thine own concern. All others own thee respect while in it. None may challenge thy work while in thy domain.)_ You challenged my right to be Prince of the city. I city that I own for five hundred and plus years.

The third law, (_Thou shall only Sire another with the permission of thine Elder. If thou createst another without thine Elder's leave, both thou and thy Progeny shall be slain.)_

"I don't need you to recite the laws to me," she said speaking with light bitterness. She moved slowly off from the floor; her hands stained with blood as she pressed it tightly to her stomach.

"Apparently you do," he countered.

She snarled.

"The fourth accounting, (_Those thou create are thine own children. Until thy Progeny shall be released, thou shall command them in all things_. _Their sins are thine to endure.)_ The fifth is hospitality. (_Honor one another's Domain. When thou comest to a foreign city, thou shall present thyself to the one who ruleth there. Without the word of acceptance, thou art nothing.) _And the sixth and finale traditions is, (Thou_ art forbidden to destroy another of thy kind. The right of destruction belongeth only to thine Elder. Only the Eldest among thee shall call the Blood Hunt.)_

Julian growled his canines extended. "You came to my city to willfully destroy it, and its kin. And I will treat you as kind because I am the judge, the jury and…"

"…and I am the executioner," continued Buffy. And she walked behind Sabine with a sword Daedalus had given to her, and with one swing she decapitated Sabine.

"…the absolute ruler, Julian said looking out at the assemble. "No one disobey the laws and get away with it."

There was a stunned silence as Sabine's head of rolled to the floor. Her blood splattered the Kindred that were standing near the body. Blood was food to vampires and fresh blood was manna. In unison, Kindred lifts up their heads up and howled. Like starving dogs, vampires rushed towards the body and the soon cooling blood.

"Stop!" Julian yelled.

A vampire looked up from his feeding; he snarled both his hands and face cover with blood.

Julian wade into the fray and thrown the vampires off the body. "I said, stop," he yelled.

"You are not the boss of me Ventrue," growled Toreador.

Peter snapped himself out of the stupor he went into when Sabine died. He went up the Toreador Vampire and slapped him in his face. "I'm now the Primogen," he snapped. "I say who's the boss," he savagely.

"You," the vampire sneered. "Ha you are a coward," he mocked turning away from Peter. "Hit me again…" was the last thing he said, before he too was decapitated.

There was a shocked silence.

"Anyone has any question?" Peter asked breaking the silence as he sung the sword lightly in his hands.

Julian eyebrows rose high in his head. He knew that Peter had it in him to be a leader. He stripped off his jacket and wrapped it around Buffy.

She blushed, taking note of her nakedness. She quickly pushed her in hands in the sleeves and button the jacket closed. The jacket reaches mid thigh, the sleeves overly long, and she kept pushing it up on her arm in irritation.

Ignoring the chaos around him, Paavo ran to Charity who they had left on the floor. She was in shock, her intestines were lying outside her body and her body was pumping blood by the bucket. Paavo closed his eyes in pain and blood tears ran unchecked down his check. She was dying. He drew her tenderly into his arms. He felt a hand rested on his hands and he look up. He stiffened; turning to look at the person who had interrupts him in his grief. It was Daedalus. "I sorry," he said deep sorrow etched in his face.

"She dying," he said his voice full of pain.

"I know," he admits.

Buffy limped over to Paavo.

"My queen," he beseeched, rocking back and forth on the dirt floor. In that two words, he was asking permission to turned Charity into Kindred.

"Do it," she said, fiercely with a pained expression.

"What!" he asked startled his stomach in knots. Is he losing his hearing?

"Make her Ventrue," Buffy said her face pinched. "I cannot bear to witness, someone else that I care for dying," she admitted with a voice tight with tension.

Paavo closed his briefly and inhaled a deep breath. He gathered Charity in his arms and disappeared.

"Is that wise," Daedalus asked, gazing after the other man.

"Probably not," Buffy said with a frown. "But they will work it out. They are in love with each other."

"That's not what I meant," he said frowning.

"I know," Buffy said bleakly. "She might be too far gone to be converted, but I had to try. He had to try."

"I hope it worked out, for his sake," he said softly.

"Me too," she said, with a sigh. "Me too."

"Cash!" Sasha screamed as she rushed into the room with Drusilla trailing her.

"Damn," Buffy muttered. "What she doing here?" she asked, limping to head her off. But Julian grabbed her instead.

"He's fine," he said to a struggling Sasha, who was intent on getting to Cash. "He's fine," Julian soothed." He just little bit bruised," he admitted, trying to prepare her.

She nodded, and Julian left her go. She walked over to Cash seeing his face for the first time. "Oh, Cash," she moaned, tenderly gather him into her arms.

For the first time that night, Buffy smiled. Everything going to fine, she thought. Julian walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her inhaling her special scent. "Wow," she said as she survey the crowd and the subdue Kindred. They had come along way; she thought the smile wipe off her face. She shook her stiff leg as the healing send prickle of pain through her. Julian arms tighten around her. And she inhales sharply. He peppered soothing kisses on her hair and her cheek.

They need to say something, she thought, eying the milling vampires. She needed to say something. She looked around her gaze touching on rogue Kindred and the others. She shrugged out of Julian's arms and walked towards the middle of the room. "This is what happens when you try to over reach yourself," she said dryly with a gesture at the decapitated bodies. "We barely survived. Several thousands of years ago, a law was created to protect Kindred from humans, because there were more of them, than us. Well, time has change. There are more Kindred now, but humans still out numbered us fifty-to-one. Sabine is dead because she wanted to show us that humans were weak and that they can be easily being over-powered."

"They are weak," someone murmured.

"Yeah!"

Ignoring them, Buffy continued. "Sabine tried to set her self as a Prince, never thinking about the consequences of her act. She had broken the very laws that were put in place, not only to protect us but also to protect mortals. But everyone has to remember that everyone is accountable to some one," she said sharply. "Even the Prince of this city is accountable to someone. What was the first rule of the law?" she demanded.

They were shuffling of feet, as Kindred mumbled indistinctly. "Thou shall not reveal thy true nature to those not of the blood. Doing such shall renounce thy claims of the Blood."

"Yes, the world around us is changing, but humans continued to outnumbering us. I hated living in the shadows, we all do. We are vulnerable in light of the computer age. To the mortals we are myths, but we must accept that. If we showed ourselves to mortals, there will be the possibility that they would not embrace us. The killing spree that happened earlier this spring cannot happen again. We cannot continue to destroy those that made us because we have to depend on mortals for sustenance and for our kind to grow. This is the beginning of a new era.

We have protected the masquerade of all cause. Don't call attention to our selves. We were mortals once and they need to be protected not only for their sakes and but ours. Our Prince will be meeting with the Primogen of each clan and a council will be created. A council of Kindred. This council will monitor and police each of us and they will hand down judgments to those who break the laws."

Julian sighed and his eyes narrowed on the rogue Kindred. "I know most of you were following orders and I am willing to forget what had aspired these last few months. Your master is now dead and Peter Turk is the new Toreador Primogen. He will mete out any punishment he deems fit." Julian turned towards the quiet young man who quietly was kneeled in front of him with his head bowed.

"Peter Turk as the new acknowledges Primogen of Clan Toreador will you reside in my city and obey the laws of the masquerade. Will you be will be willing to take blood oath with me?" Julian asked one eyebrow arched in question.

"Yes my prince," said Peter. In the last few days, he seemed that he had grown up. "I will lead the Toreadors as a leader should and we will follow the laws of the masquerade and abide in your city and if we disobey any rules it will be punishable by death," he said solemnly. "My Prince," he said with a slight hesitation as he got up from his kneeling position. "I also want you to know that I do bear so responsibility of someone of Sabine's action, even though I was following orders. But one sin I never committed was the death of those young men and the young lady. I will see that those that commit the crime will be punished," he said looking Julian in the eye.

"Death," Buffy said steely. "They will die. If you don't see to it, then I will."

"Yes milady," he said acknowledge with a nod.

"What shall we tell the world?" asked Victor, who had snapped out of his trance when Sabine died.

"Yes," said Cash with gritted teeth, hobbling with the help of Daedalus to stand beside Julian. "It is too big to hide."

"Are you okay?" Julian asked, giving him a long searching look.

Cash nods. "With some blood and some rest I'll be good as new," he said with gritted teeth.

"Tell them that there was a cult," someone said. "They understand cults."

"What are you going to do now?" Victor asked Buffy, sidling beside her.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: Reward**

* * *

"What are you going to do now?" Buffy was asked. 

"Me?" Buffy questioned, looking around her. She found and defeated the bad guy, now everything felt anticlimactic. She was tired; couple of hours of sleep doesn't make a good Buffy. It was a deep down to the bone weariness. For the last couple of years she resented the fact she had been fighting for the last five hundred years. She was tired of putting out fires, but didn't want to give up what she was. This was what she knows, but she wanted to rest. She needed one. While she was being introspective, a bright flash of light abounds across the room.

"Hey there Slayer" a voice called from of the shadows, startling the group.

There was a collective growl as they saw the demon.

"Whistler," Buffy said lackluster. She wasn't really surprised to see him. She thought she would have seen before this. At first, she had thought Sabine's magic that caused her not to care but soon she was dissuadedof that notion. It was her sense of ennui.

He looked at her surprised; where was her fire, her passion. She seemed snapped of all of her energy. The powers had told him, but he didn't believe it. They said their warrior was giving up, and she deserved a reward. "I am here to help you," he said softly.

"How?" Buffy scoffed. "Telling me there is another apocalypse to stop. I heard that and done that. I am tired Whistler, I don't think I can fight anymore," she said, her voice tight. Julian gathered Buffy into his arms. "We both are," he said.

Whistler nodded thoughtfully as he walked around the room. "I am here to give you a reward," he announced. "And also to send Drusilla home, she doesn't belong here."

Do you mean to tell me this is really Drusilla from home," Buffy asked with incredulous air, as she watched the mad vampiress, skipping merrily from one dead body to the next.

"Yes," Whistler said. "It was a mistake that need to be corrected. She upsets the balance. Isn't that what you were trying to achieved here," he said with a gesture. "No one person should have absolute power. There must be give and take, and in your world it's good and evil."

"Come Drusilla," he said. "You are going home.

The vampiress skipped up to Whistler and hold unto his hand, like a small child, and for a minute sanity shone through her eyes. "Good bye Sasha," she said with a wave of her hand. "I will think about you always and your kindness towards me. Goodbye poppa Julian," she said, and then she turned towards Buffy. She licks her lips. "Bye Mummy Buffy," she said crisply. "I'll take care of my other Papa for you," she said.

Buffy stiffened, and then she sighed. She can be afford to be generous she thought. "Goodbye Drusilla, take care of yourself," said, walking over to give her a hug.

Julian jerked up in surprise at her affection to Drusilla, knowing of Buffy's animosity towards the other woman.

"She leaving," Buffy said with a shrug. "I can be generous. Plus she didn't do anything to me.

"Good girl," Julian said with a wry grin.

"I'll be right back," Whistler said and in a flash, he was gone. It only took a minute before he came back. "Now," he said dusting off his hand. The powers heard your cry and recognized your hearts desire. And because of that you will be both taken out of the game."

"What!" Buffy said her jaw dropping open in shock. "I don't want to die," she announced.

"What!" Julian shouted pushing Buffy aside and to storm Whistler menacingly.

"Whoa! Whoa!" Whistler shouted his eyes open in fright, backing slowly away. "Who said anything about dying?" he demands.

"You did," said Buffy, her voice strained.

"No, no," he said waving his hands in denial. "No I didn't. All I said I was taking you out of the game."

"B-ut," Buffy stammered. "But to take me out is to kill me."

"Not necessarily, the world needs champions," he said. "Champions who would fight for justice, truth and the American way."

Buffy narrowed her eyes at him.

"All right," he said smiling.

Buffy shuddered slightly. It was weird seeing Whistler smiling. It was like a baby shark, all teeth. She could imagine that mouth full of teeth coming towards you, until snap. It would have you into his clutches.

"I digress," he said. "This world will always need warriors of light and you Buffy Summers are a warrior."

"So if I am not dying what will happen to me?"

"You will sleep."

"What?" she said, not sure she had heard right.

"Sleep," he repeated. "You will be put in a stasis never knowing hunger, pain, fear etc. Until the world needs you."

Buffy looked uncertainly at Julian's he smiled down at her. "I am tired," she said aloud. "But…"

Seeing where her eyes lingered. And knowing her heart, he said. "Julian and you will be together. The world needs you both."

Julian arms tighten around Buffy shoulders. He didn't want to give up his love. They had so many years together, but still it wasn't enough. "How about my city, he asked. As if that was all he cared about. Buffy patted his arm comfortably. She knew her worth in his eyes. "If I leave there will be chaos.

Whistler pursed his lips as if in thought. But he knows what he was going to do would upset the balance. But right now, it couldn't be help. "How about Daedalus?"

"Daedalus?" cried Cash shock. A Nosferatu having a city. It was never heard of. A prince needed to be visual to reassure the people and to stop petty arguing.

"Yes Daedalus," said Julian looking at his long time friend. He didn't see what was wrong with Daedalus being Prince of a city. He would make a great ruler. Little would he know that when Daedalus took reigns of the city, something would shift into balance, it would create a brand new world, but at that moment, he did not know that, and if he did, he would not care. He will be with his beloved Lissa. "Will you hold this city my friend, make it yours. Rule with a soft fist and an iron glove," he said.

Daedalus eyes were alight with wonder. No one trusted him as much as Julian did with his beloved city. "I will be honored," he said. "I will rule this city as long as you permit me to," he said bowing regally.

"What!" cried Cameron. "You give your city to the Nosferatu," he asked, gazing at Julian in disbelieve. "You allowed the woman to make you soft."

"Be careful what you say," growled Daedalus, his hands sporting claws. "Do you want to fight me for the city? I'm willing to accommodate you," he said.

"I-I," said Cameron looking around him. "He was surrounded by Gangrel, Ventrue, Toreadors and Nosferatu. His own delegation was surrounded.

"Enough!" yelled Julian. "I am not gone yet, and yet you are bickering." He sighed rubbing his forehead as if in pain. "My decision is finally," he snapped. "Daedalus will have this city. I will sign papers over to that affect. Sasha, Cash, help Daedalus, be his hands and ears. He cannot be visual as you can, so both of you will help and support him.

"I will," said Cash, concerned but didn't know how to show it. Daedalus was a great person, but can he run a city when he can't be seen in public. He shook his head slightly.

"Oh Uncle Julian!" Sasha cried rushing Julian to be gathered up into his arms. Her crying jags only last for a few minutes, and she gently disengaged her self from his arms. "I'm going to miss you," she said, red tears stain on her face.

Stoic Buffy turned towards Whistler. "How long we'll be gone," she asked, fighting back tears.

"I don't know," he said, studying her thoughtfully for a moment. "But I can give you some hope."

"What?" Buffy questioned eying him suspiciously.

"When you wake up, the world will know that vampire exists," he said.

"What?" said Julian, gawking in disbelief. "We'll no longer be hunted," he said taking a step towards him.

"Uh, I never said that," Whistler said, dancing out of reach. "Say your goodbyes, I will come for you in two hours," he said as he disappears.

"Whistler? Whistler! Get back here!" Julian shouted.

"Let him go my love," Buffy said drawing him back. "We have a lot of goodbyes to say."

Julian nod, irate with balance demon.

"Are you sure you want to do this," Buffy said.

"Don't you know I'll do anything for you," he said.

"I know, but what do you want," she asked struggling with uncertainty. Is this the right thing to do," she wondered.

He sighs. "_Bebe_, I know that for the last few days you had been feeling as if the world has been on your shoulders. I understand you wanted a break. Well here is an opportunity for you and me, get out of the rat race. I love you enough to do this with you, for you."

"Well," she said, biting her lips. "If you are sure."

"I am sure," he said firmly.

"I am going to miss everyone," she said, sadly walking into his arms.

"Me too," Julian said softly in her hair. "Me too. Although what he just said to Lissa was true. Part of him is wondering if he's doing the right thing. But one thing he does know, he can't imagine living without Lissa. Where she goes, he goes.

During the next two hours, Buffy called several people including the president of the US. She told him about what her aspiration she had for the Unit, and who she wanted to succeed her. Although she tried to put it off, she called the Levy's telling them about the sacrifice their son had made. At the time, they did not want to hear it, but they were willing to pick up his body. Paavo had changed Charity in time, and she was now Ventrue Kindred, and it will takes several more days before she could feed on her own. The Spell members mind was still damaged and Cash and Sasha promise to take care of them. Julian took Daedalus aside and reminded him about his vision to see that the Kindred have a better life. With everything was taken care of to their satisfaction, except on thing, their sons. Jordan and Alain. Both men had come into town earlier that day, maybe it was instinct or fate, they would never know. But they had chosen that time to visit.

Buffy and Julian turned towards them, caressing their feature with their gaze, memorizing every line, every dot of their face. Buffy heart ached. She was saying goodbye to her babies. Although physically they were grown men.

"Jordan and Alain," said Julian, manly trying to fight back tears. "It's been a privilege and honor to watch both of you grown into the fine men I see before me. We love you both, and we loved that you had chosen such fine women to called mates. And we are proud to call them daughters. We wanted both of you to know," he said in a choked voice. "That we won't be gone forever and we will be with you always."

Buffy started sobbing.

Nodding the two men, masters of their own city rushed into their parent's arms and wept bitter red tears.

Lot of tears and reassurances later, Buffy and Julian Luna stood in their bedroom surround by family and friends when Whistler appeared with a flash.

"So how does this worked," Buffy asked, her stomach churning with anxiety. "Do we lay down or what?"

"Both of you will be taken to a place, a place that is neither heaven nor hell, but between where you body and spirit will reside until the world need you again."

"Suppose the world doesn't me any more," Buffy said worrying her lips.

"Don't worry Slayer," Whistler said cheerfully. "Do you see how the world is right now?" he asked.

Buffy nodded.

"Well it's going to get worse," he said.

"Worse?" Buffy questioned, her eyes opened in fright.

"Uh, not a cheerful thought to look forward to eh," he said.

"No," Buffy conceded.

"Well you can handle it," Whistler said. "Did you say your goodbyes?"

Both Julian and Buffy nod.

"Good," he said and with a wave of his hands, they abruptly disappeared.

Sasha started to cry.

In a place that time forgot, neither heaven nor hell. Buffy Summers and Julian Luna stood uncertain in a room. The room was bare of any furnishing. Just a bed with a dark curtains that cover a window that gaze upon darkness. The only light that shines in the room was a singular candle.

"Here we are," said Whistler

"This is it?" Buffy demand in astonishment and something else undefined in her voice.

"What were you expecting, the Waldorf Astoria?" he mocked.

"Well yes," she said, not sure what she meant. Although she wasn't expecting luxury, but she wasn't expecting this bleak existence.

"Well we can't have everything," he snorts.

"I'm going to kill him," Buffy snapped.

"Calm down honey," Julian said smoothly, as he gather her into his arms and breathed the scent of her hair. "As long as we have each other, nothing matters."

"Yeah," said Whistler, eying Buffy nervously. "Listen to Julian," he said clearing his throat. "Well it is time for me to say good bye," he said.

Buffy hold on Julian tightens. Suddenly she was afraid. Annoyed with her self, she pushed her self out of his arms, strode towards the huge bed, and sat on it.

"Uh Slayer. Buffy," said Whistler.

"Yes," she said looking up from her study of the pattern on the bed.

"There's another reward, the Powers wanted you to have."

"Yeah," said mildly curious. "What is it?"

"What is your heart desire," he asked.

"My heart desire," she repeated almost silently. "I don't know," she said with a sigh.

"You know," he said eying her silently.

"I don't," she said.

"Yes, you know," he argued.

"I really don't know what you talking about," she yelled frustrated. In her heart, she knew. But to voice it aloud and having it rejected would be cruel.

"Think about it."

Frustration on her face Buffy got off the bed and strode around the room.

Julian watched, his heart aching for her. If he could help her, he could. However, it was her decision.

Buffy stopped abruptly and said to Whistler, "I want to see them."

Whistler nodded happily. With this prize, Buffy had to say aloud what she wanted. "I will take you back to the point where you and the other Buffy (_read New Beginnings_) had switch places. There you will see them but they won't see you. You will see how they lived their lives. Are you ready?

Buffy nodded, choked up. She was so nervous.

Suddenly a white light flash; blinding her momentarily. When she opens her eyes, she was back in that cave trying to save Lily and the others. Her life flashed before her. She saw herself fighting the demons, going back home, first day back at school. The new Slayer Faith and Angel return. Graduation day. Angel leaving. Her first day of college, her demon roommate, Oz leaving and Willow being gay. Meeting Riley for the first time. Spike being chipped. Fighting Adam, seeing the first Slayer. Found out she had a sister, and seeing the devastation in the life of the other Buffy when her mother died. Fighting Glory, seeing the other Buffy herself, and being resurrected by the Scooby's gang. She saw how coming back had displaced Buffy and how she ended up sleeping with Spike. She saw it all. Fighting the First, and then destruction of Sunnydale.

Buffy continued to watch, tears streaming down her face as each Scooby found a mate and settle down to a semi normal life. She watched, as they grew old surrounded by grandchildren. She saw the other Buffy got a shot at normalcy by settling down in ménage trios with Angel and Spike. The other Buffy life continued to play out in front of her. With tears running unashamed down her cheeks, in a choked voice, she asked Whistler to stop it shy of witnessing the other Buffy's death.

Buffy felt as if she was battered and she climbed wearily unto the bed with Julian following suit. He held her tightly in his arms. They both close their eyes, the cares of the world soon melt away, and they start to breathe deeply. Soon the lone candle extinguishes itself and plunge the room into darkness.

"Sleep well Slayer," Whistler whispered as he faded from the room.

**The End**

* * *

Story will continue in **Warriors of Light**, and it will be posted at Twisting the Hellmouth. 


End file.
